SING IN SOUTH AFRICA

Johannesburg & Pilanesberg with Alicia W. Walker - May 2014

It is with great anticipation that I invite you to join me for a Festival of Choral Music in South Africa. The power of music to bring people together will be very much in evidence as we gather there in May, 2014.

The vibrancy of the South African culture and history will provide a meaningful well from which you and your singers will draw a deep understanding of cultural exchange and musical collaboration. You will have the opportunity to gather with other choirs from the US, and to perform with and for singers from South Africa, building a global community in a brief window of time.

The proposed program will include American and African music, with perhaps a Mozart Missa Brevis for the combined choirs. In addition we are offering a separate opportunity to sing the Brahms Requiem with the University of South Carolina and other choristers.

You know the impact that international travel has on us and on our ability to appreciate and value other cultures. Consider the life-changing possibilities for your singers as they experience the beauty and warmth of a people that have struggled for freedom and prosperity in ways that many of us will never know.

I hope you will consider bringing your choir to South Africa to experience the breathtaking landscape, the rich culture, and the opportunity to create community through the choral experience

Alicia W. Walker

Vivaldi's 'Gloria' - Rome - June 2014 - an invitation

Sing in Italy with Eric Stark

I wish to introduce you to the 2014 Chamber Choir Festival in Rome, Italy, featuring Antonio Vivaldi’s exuberant “Gloria” for orchestra and chorus! Our festival brings together one of the greatest works ever in one of the world’s most magnificent cities for a cultural and performance experience second to none. I look forward to sharing this unforgettable opportunity with you and your singers!

Chamber choirs are especially welcome. Often, the opportunity to sing a major work for chorus and orchestra is only available to large groups. However, we know that some of the very best choruses are smaller, often numbering 60 or less.

You might consider taking the opportunity to perform some or all the Vivaldi “Gloria” before coming to Italy for the festival. (The first two movements make a brilliant choice for your holiday concerts!!). The genius of the composer’s composition is that the Vivaldi “Gloria” is a major work that can be performed with far less than 100 voices, depending on the circumstances.

We hope our festival, culminating in June 2014, in one of the world’s most culturally and history rich cities, Rome, can be an exciting part of your 2013-2014 programming. Working on this amazing repertoire, perhaps even performing it at home with your own ensembles, will reward your singers with the wonderful exposure to the majestic sounds of voices combined with instruments, in one of the most timeless and thrilling works of all time.

Be in contact with me regarding the music and with KIconcerts for touring information.

I look forward to seeing you in Rome!

Sincerely,
 
Eric Stark
Artistic Director, Indianapolis Symphonic Choir
Professor of Music and Director of Graduate Studies, Butler University

An invitation to sing at the Sydney Opera House!

Voices Across the Pacific - The US/Australia Choral Festival with Heather J. Buchanan - Sydney & Brisbane/Gold Coast

I am delighted to have the chance to invite you to consider joining me in Australia to sing in the 2014 Voices Across the Pacific Choral Festival in Sydney’s Opera House and my hometown of Brisbane.

The festival will celebrate the work of contemporary composers from both countries Lux Aeterna by Morten Lauridsen and Honour the Earth by Australian composer Sarah Hopkins. I have often dreamed of combining the talents and spirits of singers from both continents and this is our chance to do so!

Let me show you the Australia I know and love while you make new friends, create amazing music and become enchanted with the unique and fascinating land downunder! The 2014 Voices Across the Pacific Choral Festival will be an unforgettable musical and cultural experience.

See you under Southern Skies in 2014.
 
Heather J. Buchanan