The Cecilia Chorus of New York

The Cecilia Chorus of New York, formerly known as the St. Cecilia Chorus, is an avocational chorus and nonprofit organization based in New York City in the United States.

With a membership of approximately 150 singers, the chorus performs twice annually at Carnegie Hall with a professional orchestra and soloists, and they also perform at other New York–area venues.[1][2]

History

Early Years

Victor Harris

A secular, unaffiliated organization, the St. Cecilia Chorus was founded in 1906 as a women's chorus by Metropolitan Opera coach Victor Harris.[3] Since then, the Chorus has evolved into one of the finest non-professional performing arts organizations in New York City, and has left its mark on American musical history.

In 1922, while still a women's group, the Chorus gained significant recognition when it appeared with The Philharmonic Society of New York under Willem Mengelberg in the first New York performance of Mahler's Symphony No. 3. Since then, the Chorus has given world and U.S. premieres of more than sixty works,[4] by composers including Mrs. H.H.A. Beach, Deems Taylor, and Virgil Thompson.[3]

Harris continued as the Chorus’s conductor until 1936; he was succeeded as Music Director/Conductor by Léon Barzin (1936-37), Willard Sektberg (1937-42), Hugh Ross (1942-195?), David Buttolph (195?-1965), David Randolph (1965-2010) and Mark Shapiro (2011- ).[5] The Chorus has also performed with such other noted conductors as Lukas Foss, John Alldis, John Nelson, Romano Gandolfi (La Scala), Peter Tiboris, and Eve Queler (Opera Orchestra of New York).[3]

David Randolph

David Randolph

In 1965, when David Buttolph resigned, the Chorus recalled how much they had enjoyed making music with David Randolph when he had substituted at a rehearsal in October 1959, and invited him to become their sixth Music Director/Conductor. Mr. Randolph remained conductor until his death in 2010.[3]

Under Mr. Randolph's direction, the Chorus grew in size and ability, and in 1969 the Chorus performed its first concert in Carnegie Hall. In addition to its now traditional twice-yearly Carnegie Hall concerts, some of which have been broadcast live on WNYC Radio, David Randolph led the Chorus to appear in other reputable venues, including Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall.

In April 1981, prompted by the popularity of the Broadway play Amadeus, The St. Cecilia Chorus performed a program in Carnegie Hall which featured the U.S. premiere of Antonio Salieri's Mass No. 1 juxtaposed with Mozart's Great Mass in C minor. The program was broadcast on WNYC, and Amadeus author Peter Shaffer was in attendance and made a short speech from the stage of Carnegie Hall.[3]

In December 1986, also in Carnegie Hall, the Chorus presented the North American premiere of a significant work by a talented but neglected female composer: Oratorium nach Bildern der Bibel by Fanny Mendelssohn, Felix Mendelssohn's sister.[3]

During his 37 years with The Masterwork Chorus, Mr. Randolph developed a specialty as a conductor of Handel's Messiah, and his much-acclaimed interpretation of that beloved masterpiece became a seasonal tradition in New York City. In 1995, Mr. Randolph directed the St. Cecilia Chorus in Messiah for its very first time, much to the joy of the chorus members and audience. Its two 1995 Messiah performances at Carnegie Hall were a notable success, and by popular demand the work was brought back for two successive performances on December 20, 1997, and for performances in 2005, 2008, 2011, 2013, and 2015.[6]

In 1993, members of the Chorus made a recording with Liza Minnelli for the benefit of AIDS research. In 1996, a small group of Chorus members appeared as Christmas carolers in The Preacher's Wife, a major motion picture starring Whitney Houston and Denzel Washington.[3]

Mark Shapiro

Mark Shapiro

In July 2011, following the death of David Randolph the prior year, Mark Shapiro was appointed the seventh Music Director/Conductor of the Chorus. In 2012 the Chorus changed its name to The Cecilia Chorus of New York.[3]

Under Mr. Shapiro's direction, the Chorus began premiering commissioned works, such as Rafael Fusco's Divis Cetera: an Ode from Mount Soracte (2012) and Tom Cipullo's Credo for a Secular City (2014); that latter performance was honored in 2015 with the receipt of the Chorus America/ASCAP Alice Parker Award. [7]

Other notable accomplishments include the long-delayed New York premiere in 2013 of Dame Ethyl Smyth's Mass in D, which the composer had completed in 1891; and a rare revival of The Christmas Story (1949) by neglected American master composer Peter Mennin, a former president of The Juilliard School.

Repertoire

Below is a list of performances over the past 1/2 century.

Performances in 2011 and later conducted by Mark Shapiro, unless otherwise indicated.

Performances from 1966 through 2010 conducted by David Randolph, unless otherwise indicated.

Composer Work Performance Date Venue
Ames, David "Ode for St. Cecilia's Day" (world premiere) March 4, 2001 Church of the Heavenly Rest
Bach, CPE Magnificat December 6, 2006 Carnegie Hall
Bach, JS Cantata No. 4, "Christ lag in Todesbanden" April 16, 1977 Carnegie Hall
Cantata No. 8, "Liebster Gott" Mar 5, 1995 Church of the Heavenly Rest
Cantata No. 21, "Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis" February 25, 2007 Church of the Heavenly Rest
Cantata No. 50, "Nun ist das Heil" March 13, 1967 Town Hall
Cantata No. 104, "Du Hirte Israel, Höre" February 28, 1966 Hunter College
Cantata No. 106, "Gottes Zeit" January 17, 1971 Riverside Church
March 27, 1971 Carnegie Hall
Cantata No. 140, "Wachet auf" March 18, 1968 Town Hall
Cantata No. 147, "Herz und Mund" April 19, 1975 Carnegie Hall
Christmas Oratorio December 16, 1973 Carnegie Hall
December 17, 1977 Carnegie Hall
December 20, 1980 Carnegie Hall
December 21, 1985 Carnegie Hall
December 16, 1988 Carnegie Hall
December 22, 1990 Carnegie Hall
December 9, 1993 Carnegie Hall
December 20, 1996 Carnegie Hall
December 23, 2001 Carnegie Hall
December 10, 2004 Carnegie Hall
December 7, 2007 Carnegie Hall
December 23, 2010 Carnegie Hall
Patrick Gardner, conductor
Magnificat, BWV 243 March 2, 1970 Carnegie Hall
December 17, 1982 Carnegie Hall
December 7, 2002 Carnegie Hall
Mass in B minor April 7, 1979 Carnegie Hall
April 6, 1984 Carnegie Hall
April 20, 1990 Carnegie Hall
May 12, 2000 Carnegie Hall
May 8, 2010 Carnegie Hall
Patrick Gardner, conductor
Passion According to St. John March 25, 1972 Carnegie Hall
April 10, 1992 Carnegie Hall
Passion According to St. Matthew April 4, 1987 Carnegie Hall
May 14, 2004 Carnegie Hall
Beethoven Choral Fantasy April 25, 1976 Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center
May 2, 2015 Carnegie Hall
Elegischer Gesang April 8, 1978 Carnegie Hall
Fidelio (Finale) May 2, 2015 Carnegie Hall
Mass in C Major March 2, 1970 Carnegie Hall
December 16, 1983 Carnegie Hall
March 5, 2000 Church of the Heavenly Rest
February 22, 2009 Church of the Heavenly Rest
Patrick Gardner, conductor
May 2, 2015 Carnegie Hall
Missa solemnis May 7, 1988 Carnegie Hall
May 22, 1988 Carnegie Hall
Lukas Foss, conductor
April 25, 1998 Carnegie Hall
May 6, 2016 Carnegie Hall
Opferlied April 8, 1978 Carnegie Hall
Symphony No. 9 ("Choral") March 12, 1989 Carnegie Hall
Lukas Foss, conductor
May 12, 2001 Carnegie Hall
April 28, 2006 Carnegie Hall
Berlioz Messe Solennelle March 2, 2003 Church of the Heavenly Rest
Requiem May 10, 1991 Carnegie Hall
April 20, 1996 Carnegie Hall
Te Deum March 2, 1986 St. George's Church
March 30, 1986 Carnegie Hall
John Nelson, conductor
Bernstein Chichester Psalms January 17, 1971 Riverside Church
February 10, 1989 Stephen Wise Synagogue
February 26, 1989 St. Bartholomew's Church
March 12, 1989 Carnegie Hall
Lukas Foss, conductor
February 24, 2008 Church of the Heavenly Rest
Billings David's Lamentation March 18, 1968 Town Hall
Brahms Gesang der Parzen May 7, 2005 Carnegie Hall
Nänie January 16, 1972 Riverside Church
April 30, 1999 Carnegie Hall
May 7, 2005 Carnegie Hall
April 25, 2014 Carnegie Hall
Requiem April 25, 1976 Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center
May 2, 1976 St. George's Church
April 29, 1989 Carnegie Hall
April 30, 1999 Carnegie Hall
May 7, 2005 Carnegie Hall
Schicksalslied April 11, 1980 Carnegie Hall
April 30, 1999 Carnegie Hall
April 18, 2009 Carnegie Hall
Bruckner Christus Factus Est January 17, 1971 Riverside Church
Mass in E minor May 14, 1983 Carnegie Hall
Missa solemnis March 6, 1994 Church of the Heavenly Rest
Te Deum April 25, 2014 Carnegie Hall
Byrd, William Sing Joyfully March 1, 2015 Church of the Holy Trinity
Cipullo, Tom Credo for a Secular City April 25, 2014 Carnegie Hall
Charpentier "Midnight Mass" for Christmas Eve December 15, 1979 Carnegie Hall
Cherubini Requiem in C minor March 3, 1985 St. George's Church
February 11, 1996 Church of the Heavenly Rest
Corigliano Fern Hill March 13, 1967 Town Hall
Duruflé Requiem May 17, 1981 Church of the Holy Trinity
February 25, 1990 St. Bartholomew's Church
February 24, 2008 Church of the Heavenly Rest
Dvorák Requiem March 1, 1987 St. George's Church
June 12, 1990 Carnegie Hall
Will Kessling, conductor
May 12, 1995 Carnegie Hall
Te Deum March 7, 1993 Church of the Heavenly Rest
Elgar The Music Makers May 12, 2001 Carnegie Hall
Fauré Cantique de Jean Racine March 2, 1970 Carnegie Hall
April 27, 1974 Carnegie Hall
May 20, 1984 St. George's Church
March 9, 1997 Church of the Heavenly Rest
May 22, 2011 Church of the Heavenly Rest
Gerald Greland, conductor
Madrigal March 9, 1997 Church of the Heavenly Rest
Pavane March 9, 1997 Church of the Heavenly Rest
May 22, 2011 Church of the Heavenly Rest
Gerald Greland, conductor
Requiem January 28, 1973 Riverside Church
May 20, 1984 St. George's Church
June 21, 1988 Avery Fisher Hall
Peter Tiboris, conductor
March 9, 1997 Church of the Heavenly Rest
March 13, 2005 Church of the Heavenly Rest
May 22, 2011 Church of the Heavenly Rest
Gerald Greland, conductor
Finzi, Gerald For St. Cecilia December 8, 2000 Carnegie Hall
In Terra Pax: A Christmas Scene December 8, 2000 Carnegie Hall
Fusco, Raphael Divis Cetera: an Ode from Mount Soracte December 22, 2012 Carnegie Hall
Gabrieli Jubilate Deo December 15, 1979 Carnegie Hall
Gibbons, Orlando Hosanna to the Son of David March 1, 2015 Church of the Holy Trinity
O Clap Your Hands Together March 1, 2015 Church of the Holy Trinity
Gounod Messe Solennelle May 17, 1992 St. Bartholomew's Church
March 7, 1999 Church of the Heavenly Rest
February 26, 2006 Church of the Heavenly Rest
Handel Acis and Galatea February 28, 1966 Hunter College
Coronation Anthems December 13, 1975 Carnegie Hall
Dettingen Te Deum Dec 15, 1989 Carnegie Hall
Dixit Dominus December 15, 1979 Carnegie Hall
December 20, 1991 Carnegie Hall
Israel in Egypt April 7, 1973 Carnegie Hall
April 4, 1982 Ft. Hamilton, Brooklyn
April 17, 1982 Carnegie Hall
December 7, 1999 Carnegie Hall
Judas Maccabaeus December 15, 1974 Carnegie Hall
December 16, 1984 Stephen Wise Synagogue
December 19, 1984 Carnegie Hall
Messiah Dec 23, 1995, 2:30 Carnegie Hall
Dec 23, 1995, 8:00 Carnegie Hall
Dec 20, 1997, 2:30 Carnegie Hall
Dec 20, 1997, 8:00 Carnegie Hall
December 10, 2005 Carnegie Hall
December 13, 2008 Carnegie Hall
December 9, 2011 Carnegie Hall
December 13, 2013 Carnegie Hall
December 15, 2013 Tilles Center
December 12, 2015 Carnegie Hall
December 13, 2015 Tilles Center
Solomon December 19, 1976 Carnegie Hall
Haydn, Joseph Die Beredsamkeit September 22, 1994 Weill Recital Hall, Carnegie Hall
Mass No. 5 in C, "Cäcilianmesse" April 19, 1975 Carnegie Hall
January 22, 1982 Carnegie Hall
December 20, 1991 Carnegie Hall
Mass No. 9 in B Flat "Paukenmesse" March 31, 1969 Carnegie Hall
Mass No. 10 in B Flat "Heiligmesse" April 8, 1978 Carnegie Hall
Mass No. 11 in D minor, "Nelsonmesse" February 28, 1966 Hunter College
March 6, 1988 St. George's Church
Mass No. 12 in B Flat, "Theresienmesse" December 6, 2003 Carnegie Hall
Mass No. 13 in B Flat, "Schöpfungsmesse" March 3, 2002 Church of the Heavenly Rest
Te Deum December 16, 1983 Carnegie Hall
March 3, 1985 St. George's Church
Haydn, Michael Requiem March 3, 2002 Church of the Heavenly Rest
Honegger King David December 11, 1987 Carnegie Hall
Martin Bookspan, narrator
January 29, 1988 Stephen Wise Synagogue
Hummel Mass in B flat December 10, 2009 Carnegie Hall
Isenberg, Rex Messiahs False and True March 6, 2016 Church of the Holy Trinity
Kay "Allelulia, Give Ear" (from Choral Triptych) March 2, 1970 Carnegie Hall
Kodály Missa Brevis March 10, 1991 St. Bartholomew's Church
Te Deum January 16, 1972 Riverside Church
April 29, 1989 Carnegie Hall
Lassus Echo Song Sep 22,1994 Weill Recital Hall, Carnegie Hall
Mon Coeur March 18, 1968 Town Hall
Sep 22,1994 Weill Recital Hall, Carnegie Hall
Lauridsen, Morten Lux Aeterna April 9, 2011 Carnegie Hall
Leonarda, Isabella Two Motets December 22, 2012 Carnegie Hall
Mendelssohn, Fanny Oratorium Nach Bildern der Bibel December 20, 1986 Carnegie Hall
Mendelssohn, Felix Die erste Walpurgisnacht April 11, 1980 Carnegie Hall
April 29, 1994 Carnegie Hall
May 4, 2007 Carnegie Hall
Elijah March 23, 1986 Stephen Wise Synagogue
April 5, 1986 Carnegie Hall
December 19, 1992 Carnegie Hall
January 22, 1993 Stephen Wise Synagogue
Kyrie November 4, 1978 Carnegie Hall
January 21, 1979 St. George's Church
Lauda Sion March 5, 2000 Church of the Heavenly Rest
Symphony No. 2, "Lobgesang" December 17, 1982 Carnegie Hall
December 8, 2000 Carnegie Hall
Mennin, Peter The Christmas Story December 22, 2012 Carnegie Hall
Monteverdi Lasciatemi morire March 18, 1968 Town Hall
Mozart Ave Verum Corpus December 13, 1975 Carnegie Hall
"Coronation" Mass, K. 317 December 13, 1975 Carnegie Hall
December 16, 1983 Carnegie Hall
February 22, 2009 Church of the Heavenly Rest
Patrick Gardner, conductor
"Great" Mass in C minor, K. 427 March 27, 1971 Carnegie Hall
April 10, 1981 Carnegie Hall
December 15, 1989 Carnegie Hall
December 11, 1998 Carnegie Hall
December 6, 2003 Carnegie Hall
December 10, 2009 Carnegie Hall
Misericordias Domini, K. 222 April 8, 1978 Carnegie Hall
Regina Coeli April 10, 1981 Carnegie Hall
Requiem March 13, 1967 Town Hall
May 14, 1983 Carnegie Hall
December 11, 1998 Carnegie Hall
December 7, 2002 Carnegie Hall
December 6, 2006 Carnegie Hall
April 9, 2011 Carnegie Hall
Te Deum January 28, 1973 Riverside Church
Vesperae solemnes de confessore, K. 339 March 31, 1969 Carnegie Hall
April 8, 1978 Carnegie Hall
March 6, 1994 Church of the Heavenly Rest
February 26, 2006 Church of the Heavenly Rest
February 26, 2012 Church of the Heavenly Rest
Orff Carmina Burana April 29, 1994 Carnegie Hall
April 27, 2002 Carnegie Hall
May 4, 2007 Carnegie Hall
Pergolesi Magnificat April 16, 1977 Carnegie Hall
Pinkham Christmas Cantata December 15, 1979 Carnegie Hall
Poulenc Gloria December 15, 1994 Carnegie Hall
March 13, 2005 Church of the Heavenly Rest
December 13, 2014 Carnegie Hall
Puccini Edgar October 8, 1977 Brooklyn College
Eve Queler, conductor
Messa di Gloria March 22, 1980 Bridgeport, CT
Harrison Valente, conductor
April 11, 1980 Carnegie Hall
May 17, 1992 St. Bartholomew's Church
February 29, 2004 Church of the Heavenly Rest
Purcell Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem March 31, 1969 Carnegie Hall
Rachmaninoff The Bells April 27, 2002 Carnegie Hall
Randolph, David Andante for Strings December 8, 2000 Carnegie Hall
April 9, 2011 Carnegie Hall
Rutter Gloria May 2, 1997 Carnegie Hall
Saint-Saëns Requiem March 7, 1999 Church of the Heavenly Rest
Salieri Grand Mass No. 1 in D April 10, 1981 Carnegie Hall
May 17, 1981 Church of the Holy Trinity
Schubert Mass No. 5 in A flat December 20, 1986 Carnegie Hall
March 4, 2001 Church of the Heavenly Rest
Mass No. 6 in E flat March 18, 1968 Town Hall
April 16, 1977 Carnegie Hall
March 8, 1998 Church of the Heavenly Rest
February 21, 2010 Church of the Heavenly Rest
Stabat Mater March 5, 1995 Church of the Heavenly Rest
February 25, 2007 Church of the Heavenly Rest
February 26, 2012 Church of the Heavenly Rest
Smyth, Dame Ethel Mass in D (New York premiere) April 14, 2013 Carnegie Hall
Tallis Spem in Alium November 4, 1978 Carnegie Hall
John Alldis, conductor
Tchaikovsky scenes from The Maid of Orleans April 14, 2013 Carnegie Hall
Tomkins, Thomas When David Heard March 1, 2015 Church of the Holy Trinity
Telemann Wie ist dein Name so gross March 27, 1971 Carnegie Hall
Tye, Christopher Give Almes of Thy Goods March 1, 2015 Church of the Holy Trinity
Vaughan Williams Dona Nobis Pacem February 26, 1989 St. Bartholomew's Church
April 28, 2006 Carnegie Hall
Hodie December 15, 1994 Carnegie Hall
December 13, 2014 Carnegie Hall
Hodie (two movements) March 1, 2015 Church of the Holy Trinity
Mass in G minor April 27, 1974 Carnegie Hall
March 10, 1991 St. Bartholomew's Church
Serenade to Music November 4, 1978 Carnegie Hall
John Alldis, conductor
January 21, 1979 St. George's Church
Symphony No. 1, A Sea Symphony May 16, 1985 Carnegie Hall
May 2, 1997 Carnegie Hall
April 18, 2009 Carnegie Hall
Toward the Unknown Region April 25, 2014 Carnegie Hall
Verdi Requiem March 20, 1983 Park Ave. Christian Church
April 9, 1983 Bridgeport, CT
Romano Gandolfi, conductor
April 17, 1993 Carnegie Hall
May 2, 2003 Carnegie Hall
May 2, 2008 Carnegie Hall
April 21, 2012 Carnegie Hall
Stabat Mater May 16, 1985 Carnegie Hall
Te Deum May 16, 1985 Carnegie Hall
Vivaldi Dixit Dominus January 22, 1982 Carnegie Hall
February 25, 1990 St. Bartholomew's Church
Gloria April 27, 1974 Carnegie Hall
February 29, 2004 Church of the Heavenly Rest
December 22, 2012 Carnegie Hall
Magnificat December 13, 1975 Carnegie Hall
March 6, 1988 St. George's Church
Walton Coronation Te Deum November 4, 1978 Carnegie Hall
Weelkes, Thomas Gloria in Excelsis Deo March 1, 2015 Church of the Holy Trinity
Zelenka Missa Dei Patris March 7, 1993 Church of the Heavenly Rest
Zimmermann Psalmkonzert March 31, 1969 Carnegie Hall
April 27, 1974 Carnegie Hall

References

  1. ↑ "The Cecilia Chorus of New York – About the Chorus". Retrieved 23 Nov 2012.
  2. ↑ "The Cecilia Chorus of New York – Our Mission". Retrieved 23 Nov 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "The Cecilia Chorus of New York – History". Retrieved 23 Nov 2012.
  4. ↑ "The Cecilia Chorus of New York - Repertoire". www.ceciliachorusny.org. Retrieved 2016-01-06.
  5. ↑ "The Cecilia Chorus of New York - History". www.ceciliachorusny.org. Retrieved 2016-01-06.
  6. ↑ "The Cecilia Chorus of New York – Repertoire". Retrieved 24 Nov 2012.
  7. ↑ "2015 Chorus America Award Recipients Announced". 2015 Chorus America Awards.

External links

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