ORLANDO SINGS CHORAL FESTIVAL 2024: EAST & WEST
THE ROAD EAST | APRIL 30, 2024 | 7:30 PM
ORLANDO SINGS SYMPHONIC CHORUS & HARMONIA
DongKyu Lee, guest conductor from South Korea
First United Methodist Church of Orlando
Immerse yourself in a truly enchanting musical journey as Harmonia and the Orlando Sings Symphonic Chorus bring to life the rich and captivating choral traditions of South Korea. Delight in the rare privilege of witnessing an esteemed international guest conductor guide our harmonious journey, bringing to life the soul-stirring music of their homeland.
Transport yourself to the vibrant and diverse musical landscape of South Korea, where choral singing is a hugely popular national movement. Be part of this groundbreaking moment as we proudly present many of these mesmerizing choral masterpieces for the first time in the United States.
KyungSuk Cheon The Song of Iris Rossii: Requiem for the Comfort Women
MinHyeong Lee Jeongseon Arirang
& more Choral Music from South Korea
THE ROAD WEST | MAY 3, 2024 | 8:00 PM
ORLANDO SINGS SYMPHONIC CHORUS & HARMONIA
Justin Chase, Andrew Minear, & Sandra Shafer, conductors
First United Methodist Church of Orlando
On The Road West, find an unmissable encounter of tradition and innovation through the transcendent beauty of Fauré’s Requiem, and the groundbreaking blend of Indian and Western classical styles in Esmail’s Malhaar: A Requiem for Water.
2024 marks 100 years since the death of French composer Gabriel Fauré, one of the most revered composers of the late 19th century. His beautiful Requiem, unlike traditional requiem settings, embraces a serene and contemplative approach, focusing on the themes of rest, peace, and eternal light.
In Hindustani music, Malhaar refers to a family of raags that beckon rain. The work intertwines texts from the traditional Latin Requiem mass alongside the work of Wendell Berry and William O’Daly, along with interspersed Hindi. It traces a trajectory of beauty and awe of water, the fear and devastation around its loss, an answered plea of atonement, and eventually a promise of a new cycle of life.
Both works are full of hope as they guide the listener through a spectrum of feelings – from contemplation to exultation, from reflection to catharsis. In this powerful fusion of west and east, timeless and contemporary, we are reminded of our connection with the earth and our common humanity.
Gabriel Fauré Requiem, Op. 48
Reena Esmail Malhaar: A Requiem for Water
Selections from Harmonia’s new recording project!
CONSIDERING MATTHEW SHEPARD | JUNE 1 & 2, 2024
SOLARIA SINGERS
Andrew Minear, music director
Katrina Ploof, stage director
Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater
Considering Matthew Shepard is a poignant Grammy-nominated oratorio in response to the murder of young Matthew Shepard in 1998. Craig Hella Johnson’s riveting work melds together a variety of texts and musical styles to reflect on Matthew Shepard’s remarkable life and legacy. Solaria will present this work, fully staged, in the Pugh Theater with chamber orchestra, soloists and projections.
PAST CONCERTS & EVENTS
BAROQUE MAGNIFICENCE:
BACH MASS IN B MINOR | MARCH 1, 2024 | 8:00 PM
ORLANDO SINGS SYMPHONIC CHORUS
SOLARIA PLAYERS
Andrew Minear, conductor
Steinmetz Hall
Experience the Magnificence: Bach’s Mass in B minor
Indulge your senses and immerse yourself in the ethereal realm of classical music as the Orlando Sings Symphonic Chorus, under the expert baton of conductor Andrew Minear, presents Johann Sebastian Bach’s timeless masterpiece: the Mass in B minor. Known as the crowning jewel of Baroque choral music, this monumental work is a profound tapestry of intricate melodies, soaring voices and instruments, and celestial harmonies that will elevate your soul to new heights.
From moments of awe-inspiring grandeur to passages of tender intimacy, Bach’s music weaves a captivating narrative of human emotions, inviting you to embark on an emotive journey through joy, sorrow, hope, and triumph. This enchanting evening promises to be a sublime experience, offering a rare opportunity to witness the pinnacle of choral and orchestral artistry in one of the world’s most renowned concert venues.
A SOLARIA SOLSTICE | DECEMBER 21, 2023 | 6:30 & 8:15 PM
SOLARIA SINGERS
Andrew Minear, conductor
Timucua Arts Foundation
Quickly becoming a favorite holiday tradition in Orlando, A Solaria Solstice features Orlando’s finest vocalists in an intimate venue. Hear moving poetry and music from Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa, as well as compelling contemporary choral works that reflect on this time of darkness, renewal, and the light to come!
ALAS & ALLELUIA: WORKS FOR DOUBLE CHOIR | NOVEMBER 10, 2023 | 8:00 PM
ORLANDO SINGS SYMPHONIC CHORUS
Andrew Minear, conductor
HARMONIA
Sandra Shafer, conductor
Special Guests:
EVANS HIGH SCHOOL CONCERT CHOIR
Edith Wright, conductor
First United Methodist Church of Orlando
Experience Central Florida’s professional-level choirs in stereo LIVE with a beautiful evening of music for double choir, including two premieres and a grand finale where audience members are invited to join in the song!
After a highly-acclaimed inaugural season, Harmonia returns with the gorgeous sound of over 75 talented sopranos and altos as they perform a set of historic masterpieces, including the famed Biebl Ave Maria.
Then the Symphonic Chorus brings a sophisticated tour de force of a program, featuring Frank Martin’s divine Mass for Double Choir (the greatest a cappella choral achievement of the 20th century), the North American premiere of Shruthi Rajasekar’s The Change We Need and the world premiere of Orlando composer Keith Lay’s Over the North Jetty.
HARMONIA
Sulpitia Cesis Cantate Domino
Franz Beibl Ave Maria
Pavel Chesnokov Gladsome Light
Nicola Porpora Sicut Erat
SYMPHONIC CHORUS
Heinrich Schütz Jauchzet dem Herren, alle Welt, SWV 36
Shruthi Rajasekar The Change We Need (North American premiere)
Keith Lay Over the North Jetty (world premiere)
Frank Martin Mass for Double Choir
William Harris Faire is the Heaven
OKTOBERFEST! GALA & SILENT AUCTION | SEPTEMBER 29, 2023 | 7:00 PM
You are invited to the Orlando Sings 3rd Annual Gala and Silent Auction. Don your Lederhosen and join us for a festive evening of live music, delicious German food and a silent auction in support of our educational and outreach programs. Prost!
TAKING FLIGHT | SEPTEMBER 24, 2023 | 4:00 PM
SOLARIA SINGERS
Andrew Minear, conductor
Park Lake Presbyterian Church
Kick off the Orlando Sings 2023-2024 Season and fly away with Orlando’s own professional choir, Solaria! Audience members will be swept away with the inspiring sounds of Eric Whitacre’s epic Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine, go on a “madrigal mystery tour” through the Italian Renaissance, and be wowed by the harmonies and vocalism on display with the Six Fire Songs: masterful modern settings of Renaissance poetry by America’s greatest living choral composer Morten Lauridsen. Finally, everyone will fly back out into the world with Kyle Pederson’s groovy-powerful Call Across, an empowering invitation to connection and unity. The piece explores the perspective of three “voices” from around the world, each seeking to break out of their particular isolation, each ending their call across physical space, history, or silence with the same declaration of the simple power of presence: “There is no beauty without your voice.”
We can’t wait to share this musical journey with you!
Eric Whitacre Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine
Landmark Madrigals of the Renaissance
Morten Lauridsen Madrigali: Six ‘Fire Songs’ on Italian Renaissance Poems
Kyle Pederson Call Across