Mozart “Requiem” and Mendelssohn works enhanced by collaboration performances, professional soloists and orchestra on Cape Cod and South Shore
McGRATHPR.com – Cape Cod Chorale (CCC) and Choral Art Society of the South Shore (CAS), two of Eastern Massachusetts’ community choral ensembles, join forces this spring in honor of CCC’s 40th anniversary season in concert, performing “Mozart and Two Mendelssohns,” on Saturday, May 6, 4 pm at Scituate Center for the Performing Arts, 606 Chief Justice Cushing Hwy. (Rte. 3A), Scituate, and on Sunday, May 7, 4 pm at Mashpee High School, 500 Old Barnstable Road, Mashpee. The combined choral ensemble is conducted by CCC and CAS Artistic Director Danica A. Buckley, with rehearsal accompaniment by pianists Ana Glig (CCC) and Mijin Choi (CAS). The concerts feature professional vocal soloists Susan Consoli, soprano, Alexandra Dietrich, mezzo-soprano, Ethan Depuy, tenor, and Dana Whiteside, baritone, in addition to a full orchestra.
The performances of “Mozart and Two Mendelssohns,” in a concise description, are noted as a 40th anniversary commemoration featuring “Four Soloists. Three Composers. Two Choruses. One Orchestra.” The program features Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s famed sacred masterwork “Requiem”, a frequent program highlight for milestone performances, “Hiob” (Job), a short, exciting, not often performedcantata by Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, composed in 1831, performed as a regional premiere, and Felix Mendelssohn’s “Verleih Uns Frieden” – selections from the vast repertoire in the Mendelssohn dynasty, spearheaded by these musically prolific siblings. Though the two choral ensembles are both under Buckley’s leadership and direction, it is rare for them to perform together, fitting for such a celebratory occasion.
Steve Musselman, President of Cape Cod Cod Chorale remarked, “Thanks to the nine-year tenure of our Artistic Director – Danica A. Buckley – the Chorale has advanced musically and weathered the shuttered months of the pandemic. The inspiration to stage this ambitious program is her declaration to our members and to our community that after forty years, the Chorale is stronger and healthier than ever.”
Although this program features two male-composed works, Buckley keenly supports women music creators and is inspired to acquaint a broader audience with female composers. “I love the western canon of Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, and the rest of these great male composers, but I’m also committed to conducting works not previously in the repertoire of the ensembles that I serve, and especially, to conducting works of women composers and poets as well as those of people of color,” shares Buckley. “When one looks at today’s programming by major orchestras and choruses in this country and abroad, diverse voices are hugely underrepresented. Women conductors are too, but circumstances are changing,” she shares.
German composer and pianist Fanny Mendelssohn (1805-1847) composed more than 460 pieces of music attributed mostly to her brother, Felix, as imposed by the prevailing attitude toward working women in that era. A number of her compositions, primarily songs for piano, were originally published in Felix’s name in his opus 8 and 9 collections. However, her works are now increasingly performed.
Throughout this concert performance, the 110 performers on stage strive to entertain, educate, and engage in community with those in the audience. Building community is a strong mission of both choruses, and welcoming everyone, from Mozart and Mendelssohn aficionados to first time classical music concert goers, is a goal. They want audiences to be carried away by the beauty of the music, sometimes tinged with sadness, sometimes cheerful, sometimes dramatic, or sometimes peaceful and calming. Spending an hour and a half at one of these performances will inspire all who attend. As Buckley notes, “it’s not a stuffy, dusty old performance. Two polished community choruses, four professional soloists, and twenty six instrumentalists will sing and play their hearts out to bring musical joy and inspiration to all. Feel free to come in jeans.”
Tickets to “Mozart and Two Mendelssohns” are $25 for adults and students over 18; students ages 18 and under are admitted for free. CAS and CCC are proud to participate in the Card to Culture Program, a collaboration between Mass Cultural Council and the Department of Transitional Assistance, Women, Infants & Children (WIC) Nutrition Program, and Massachusetts Health Connector, broadening accessibility to cultural programming. EBT, WIC, and Connector Care cardholder tickets are $12.50 each at the door only when card is presented, limited to two per card holder; 18 and under free. Scituate performance tickets are available at the door and at choralartsociety.org, and Mashpee performance tickets are available at capecodchorale.org.
About Cape Cod Chorale
Cape Cod Chorale (CCC) is a non-auditioned community chorus comprised of about 60 voices, founded in 1982, drawing membership from Wareham to Brewster. CCC’s mission is to promote the beauty of choral music and to provide people who love to sing the opportunity to raise their voices in harmony. Each year the Chorale presents diverse classical and contemporary choral works. The Chorale provides an annual scholarship to a graduating high school senior who pursues a degree in music. For more information, visit capecodchorale.org, or follow Cape Cod Chorale on Facebook.
About Choral Art Society of the South Shore
Choral Art Society of the South Shore (CAS), a welcoming, non-auditioned chorus – engages, inspires, and enriches its members and greater community by pursuing excellence in our wide-ranging and challenging musical programs. Founded in 1958, CAS is dedicated to the performance of all genres of choral music, from Renaissance to 21st century. CAS features 40 singing members from Kingston to Quincy. The ensemble rehearses and performs in Scituate, offering one winter and one spring concert each year. The Society provides an annual scholarship to one a graduating high school senior who pursues a degree in music. For more information, visit choralartsociety.org, or follow Choral Art Society of the South Shore on Facebook and Instagram.
The CCC and CAS choral collaboration performances are supported in part by grants from several regional Mass Cultural Council chapters, Cape Cod Five Foundation, Arts Foundation of Cape Cod, South Shore Music Circus, and Coastal Heritage Bank.
Program:
Requiem – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Hiob (Job) – Fanny Hensel Mendelssohn
Verleih Uns Frieden – Felix Mendelssohn
Artistic Director Danica Buckley has directed Choral Art Society of the South Shore since 2005 and Cape Cod Chorale since 2014. Under her leadership, CAS performed a sold-out performance at Thayer Academy of Mendelssohn’s St. Paul in 2009, for the 200th birthday of Mendelssohn and the 50th anniversary of the Choral Art Society. Other performances have included a variety of programming from English part-songs, to Viennese choral chamber music, to songs about the environment, and to Mozart’s Requiem, Christ Lag in Todesbanden (Bach), Magnificat (Bach), Mass in Time of War (Haydn) , Dona Nobis Pacem (Vaughan Williams), all with the Choral Art Society Orchestra.
For CCC, she has led similar programs, including Haydn Te Deum, Faure Requiem, and Celebration! Music of the 70s and 80s.
She is also an Assistant Professor of English composition and literature at Wentworth Institute of Technology and has directed the Simmons University Chamber Choir since 2006.
Ms. Buckley holds a Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from Boston Conservatory at Berklee, where she studied with Dr. William Cutter. In the summer program at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ, she studied conducting with Dr. Andrew Megill and vocal health science with Dr. Scott McCoy.
While earning a Master of Arts in English at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, she founded The Tompkins Chorale, comprised of fellow graduate students, her own undergraduate students, and professors. During this time, she also studied voice at Meredith College and opera at Brevard Music Center.
She also holds a BA in English from Norwich University in Vermont.
Ms. Buckley is a member of Chorus America and the American Choral Directors Association.
