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New York, NY. – Under the direction of Artistic
Director Thea Kano, the New York City Master Chorale
(NYCMC) concludes its fourth season on Saturday, May
22 at 8 PM at Church of St. Paul the Apostle
(Columbus Avenue at 60th Street, Manhattan).
Repertoire for Music of Maurice Duruflé includes
Maurice Duruflé: Messe Cum Jubilo; Quatre Motets sur
des Thèmes Grégoriens; and Requiem. Stephen Hamilton
will accompany the performance on organ. The concert
features special guests the Rock Creek Singers of
the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC, who will
join the men of the NYCMC for the Messe Cum Jubilo.
Dr. Kano, who has been praised for her dynamic
conducting, brings unique insight to this music. Dr.
Kano studied with the Association Duruflé in Paris
while writing her dissertation on the Duruflé
Requiem at UCLA.
Concert organist Dr. Hamilton has a strong
reputation in organ performance, especially with
works by French composers, and has been praised by
The New York Times for his excellent performances.
Tickets for Music of Maurice Duruflé are priced at
$30. Student and senior tickets are available for
$20. Tickets may be purchased online at
www.nycmasterchorale.org or by calling the
Box Office at (917) 326-1422. Tickets will also
available at the door the evening of the concert.
About Composer Maurice Duruflé
Maurice Duruflé was born in Louviers, France in
1902. In 1912, he became chorister at the Rouen
Cathedral Choir School, where he studied piano and
organ with Jules Haelling. At age 17, upon moving to
Paris, he took private organ lessons with Charles
Tournemire, whom he assisted at Basilique Ste-Clotilde,
Paris until 1927. In 1920 Duruflé entered the
Conservatoire de Paris, eventually graduating with
first prizes in organ, harmony, piano accompaniment,
and composition. In 1927, Louis Vierne nominated him
as his assistant at Notre-Dame. Duruflé became
titular organist of St. Étienne-du-Mont in Paris in
1929, a position he held for the rest of his life.
In 1943 he became professor of harmony at the
Conservatoire de Paris, where he worked until 1970.
In 1947, Duruflé wrote what is probably the most
famous of his few pieces: Requiem, op. 9. He died in
Louveciennes, France in 1986 at the age of 84.
About Organist Stephen Hamilton
Dr. Hamilton is Minister of Music at the historic
Church of the Holy Trinity (Episcopal), in New York
City, where he conducts the semi-professional Holy
Trinity Choir, and is Artistic Director of Music at
Holy Trinity, the church’s subscription concert
series. The New York Times acknowledges that Dr.
Hamilton’s concert series “is an important venue for
week-end presentations.” Highlights of Dr.
Hamilton’s career include the premiere performance
of Kenton Coe's Concerto for Organ, Strings and
Percussion in France. His compact disc release of
Marcel Dupré's Le Chemin de la Croix met with
exceptional reviews from a number of magazines and
trade journals including The American Organist and
The American Record Guide.
In addition to his duties at the Church of the Holy
Trinity, Dr. Hamilton is a member of the artist
faculties at Hunter College and Queens Colleges and
teaches organ in the pre-college division of the
Manhattan School of Music. Dr. Hamilton has
presented church music repertoire classes for the
2002, 2004, and 2006 National Conventions of the
American Guild of Organists in Philadelphia, Los
Angeles and Chicago.
About Conductor Thea Kano
Thea Kano is the founding Artistic Director and
conductor of the New York City Master Chorale. She
has prepared the Chorale for performances with the
Astoria Symphony and the Park Avenue Chamber
Symphony. Dr. Kano is also the Assistant Conductor
of the Gay Men’s Chorus, Washington, DC, and is the
Artistic Director of the Capitol Hill Youth Chorus.
She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in choral
conducting from the University of California, Los
Angeles, where she studied with Donald Neuen and
Paul Salamunovich.
About The New York City Master Chorale
Founded in 2005, the New York City Master Chorale
presents an annual concert series, performing at
Church of St. Paul the Apostle, The Riverside
Church, Alice Tully Hall, Avery Fisher Hall and
Carnegie Hall. The Chorale is noted for its
excellent performances of the entire range of the
choral repertoire. In addition to its concerts, the
Chorale also provides significant education and
outreach initiatives to New York City schools and
community programs as an integral component of its
mission.
For more information contact:
Thea Kano, Executive Director
New York City Master Chorale
511 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 74
New York, NY 10011 |