St. Martin's Chamber Choir
| St. Martin's Chamber Choir | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Origin | Denver, Colorado USA |
| Founding | 1994 |
| Genre | Classical a cappella choral |
| Music Director | Timothy J. Krueger |
| Affiliation | Independent |
| Website | www.StMartinsChamberChoir.org |
St. Martin's Chamber Choir, based in Denver, Colorado, is a professional, non-church affiliated vocal ensemble of 24 voices.
History
St. Martin's Chamber Choir, led by founder, Artistic Director and conductor Timothy J. Krueger, was created in 1994. The choir presents concert programs drawn from choral literature spanning from Renaissance motets, through 18th century Baroque and Classical works and Romantic partsongs, to masterworks of the 20th and 21st centuries and new pieces composed expressly for the ensemble. Although the group's repertoire is largely a cappella, St. Martin's has collaborated with such groups as the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra, the Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado, the Colorado Music Festival Chamber Orchestra, the Confluence String Quartet, Stratus Chamber Orchestra and the Pro Musica Colorado Chamber Orchestra. The choir was also featured at the National Performing Arts Convention held in Denver in June, 2008.
The organization takes its name from the site of its first concerts, St. Martin's Chapel at St. John's Episcopal Cathedral in Denver.
The choir has released eleven CD recordings.
St. Martin's Chamber Choir is supported by numerous corporate and private foundations and by the "Scientific and Cultural Facilities District"[1] and Colorado Creative Industries (formerly the Colorado Council on the Arts).
Timothy J. Krueger, Artistic Director
Timothy J. Krueger, founder, Artistic Director and conductor of St. Martin's, studied musicology at the Wheaton College Conservatory, at the University of Colorado-Boulder, the Universität Hamburg, and the University of London's Royal Holloway College. He has worked professionally with such ensembles as the Santa Fe Opera, the Santa Fe Desert Chorale, Chicago a cappella, Vox early music ensemble (Ann Arbor, MI), St. John's Episcopal Cathedral in Denver, and the Ars Nova Singers of Boulder, Colorado. He is choirmaster of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Denver[2] and a part-time faculty member at Metropolitan State College of Denver.[3]
Premieres
In addition to local, regional and United States premieres, St. Martin's has presented numerous world premieres and commissions:
World Premieres:
Wiegenlied, J. Brahms, arr. M. Susan Brown (1956- ), September 2003
Evening Service in the Edwardian Style, Timothy J. Krueger (1964- ), World premiere concert performance, February 2004
Mass for Double Choir, Terry Schlenker (1957- ), June 2004
These Few Tears: In Memoriam Mark Owen Sheldon, Janet Vanden Bosch (1941- ) Text by Todd Morley, June 2004
Thou shalt know him when he comes, Craig Carnahan (1951- ), December 2004
Regina Coeli Laetare, Craig Carnahan (1951- ), March 2005
The Canonical Hours, John White (1931- ), March 2005
Timor et Tremor, Terry Schlenker (1957- ), June 2005
The Beatitudes, M. Susan Brown (1956- ), June 2005
Brennen's Lullabye, Terry Schlenker (1957- ), June 2005
Hearts of Oak, arr. Brock Erickson (1958- ), October 2005
Three Sea Songs, Timothy J. Krueger (1964- ), October 2005
Majestic Plains, arr. Yuriy Sokolovskiy (1933- ), February 2006
Das Lied der Alpenjäger, Timothy J. Krueger (1964- ), February 2006
Nigra Sum, Terry Schlenker (1957- ), February 2006
Adoramus te, M. Susan Brown (1956- ), April 2006
Alleluia, Terry Schlenker (1957- ), April 2006
God's own descent, John White (1931- ), June 2006
In monte Oliveti, Terry Schlenker (1957- ), March 2007
The Waking, Terry Schlenker (1957- ), September 2008
O Captain! My Captain!, John White (1931- ), February 2009
Daystars, John White (1931- ), February 2009
Celebrons la Naissance, Micaëla Larsen Brown (1961- ), December 2009
Latin Mass, Robert Baksa (1938- ), June 2010
Commissions:
St. Martin's Evening Service, David Cutforth (1923- ), 1997
The Waking, Terry Schlenker (1957- ) (Co-commission with Musica Sacra), September 2008
Discography
To date St. Martin's Chamber Choir has released 13 CDs:
- Joaquin Nin-Culmell: Symphonie des Mysteries: The first American performance of Symphonie des Mysteries was given by organist Richard Robertson and the men of St. Martin's in the presence of the composer, on December 7, 1997. This release is on the Toccata Classics label.
- A Marian Christmas: A Marian Christmas was released in December 1998. This CD collection features Hugo Distler's chorale variations on 'Es ist ein Ros entsprungen' from his cantata Die Weihnachtsgeschichte, and also includes a selection of Marian antiphons, English carol settings, and three settings of the text Ave Maria.
- Dreams All Too Brief: English Partsongs: Included on this offering are 19th and 20th century miniatures by Edward Elgar, Charles Villiers Stanford, Ralph Vaughan Williams and Herbert Howells. Hubert Parry's Songs of Farewell conclude th collection.
- A Glimpse of Heaven: A Glimpse of Heaven features works ranging from Thomas Morley's setting of the Anglican burial service to Horatio Parker's "Adstant Angelorum Chori". The recording also includes works by Lionel Pike, Terry Schlenker, Henry Purcell and David Cutforth.
- The American Spirit: The American Spirit is St. Martin's Chamber Choir's collection of works of American composers, and includes Cecil Effinger's Four Pastorales with oboe, Terry Schlenker's "Kyrie", Randall Thompson's "Alleluia", a setting of the Lamentations of Jeremiah by Timothy Krueger, Jean Berger's "Skelton Poems" with piano and Tim Sarsany's "Salve Mater misericordiæ".
- O Taste and See: Released in the fall of 2003 O Taste and See includes, in addition to Ralph Vaughan Williams' choral work of the same name, the Mass for Four Voices by William Byrd, Orlando Gibbon's "Short Evening Service", Charles Villiers Stanford's Three Motets, Op. 38, and other works from the Anglican choral tradition.
- The Unknown Masterpiece: Premieres from the 2003-2004 Season: The Unknown Masterpiece features live performances of Terry Schlenker's Mass for Double Choir, Janet Vanden Bosch's "These few tears - in memoriam Mark Owen Sheldon", Timothy Krueger's Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis, and other works given their premieres by St. Martin's during their 2003-04 season.
- Monastic Echoes: The Canonical Hours, an eight movement work by John White reflecting the eight daily monastic services (or hours) as the monks journey through the day, is the centerpiece of the CD Monastic Echoes. Complementing The Canonical Hours are the twelve Gregorian plainchant settings of the Compline text 'Te lucis ante terminum'. Additional works include Terry Schlenker's "Timor et Tremor" and Craig Carnahan's "Thou Shalt Know Him".
- It is Finished: Stations of the Cross: This CD traces Christ's Holy Week journey to the Cross. The collection includes works from the 16th through the 21st centuries, following the Via Crucis and ending with a prelude to Easter.
- A Marian Christmas II: A Marian Christmas II is a sequel to St. Martin's 1998 recording A Marian Christmas. Featuring many selections from the December 2006 concerts of the same name, A Marian Christmas II contains a collection of carol arrangements and seasonal works, including five world premiere recordings.
- The Waking: Choral Music of Terry Schlenker: The Waking: Choral Music of Terry Schlenker, contains both never-before-recorded new works and selections from previous St. Martin's CDs.
- Enlightenment A Cappella: St. Martin's recording released in 2009, Enlightenment A Cappella, is a collection of seldom-heard unaccompanied works from the 18th century. The CD features music by Johann Friedrich Doles, Carl Heinrich Graun, Johann Kuhnau, Giuseppe Ottavio Pitoni, John Blow, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and many others.
- fr:Henri Hardouin: Complete 'Four-Part a Cappella Masses, Volume 1: This is the premiere recording of the first three of the six Four-Part a Cappella Masses of the 18th century French composer. This 2013 release is on the Toccata Classics label.
References
- ↑ List of SCFD Tier III organizations. http://www.scfd.org/?page=home&sub=3
- ↑ Timothy Krueger at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, Denver, Colorado. http://www.standrewdenver.org/music-staff
- ↑ Timothy Krueger at Metropolitan State University of Denver. http://weba.msudenver.edu/searchchannel/jsp/directoryprofile/profile.jsp?uName=kruegeti