2011/12 SEASON SIX PRESS RELEASE
Brace yourself for Vox Musica’s Sixth Season
The most Dynamic and Adventurous yet!
Sacramento, September, 2011—Vox Musica, the acclaimed women’s vocal ensemble, announces the launch of its sixth musical season that includes four stellar concert projects in Sacramento. The new subscription season will focus on contemporary works, including the stunning lecture-style performance of music by renowned Swedish composer Karin Rehnqvist and an adventurous collaborative concert project for women’s voices and electronics.
The opening concert in October, KÖR: The Music of Karin Rehnqvist, is a lecture-style performance that will highlight works by Swedish composer and Vox Musica’s composer-in-residence Karin Rehnqvist.
The second concert, NOBIS: A Vox Christmas, in December, will once again blend the old with the new featuring a presentation of holiday works for organ and piano accompaniment.
In March, Vox Musica’s most adventurous programmed performance, REMIX: Voices and Electronics, will be a remarkable concert weaving the voices of Vox between pulsating beats and a blurry haze of electronics. REMIX will be a collaborative performance between Vox Musica and Portland-based electro hip-hop singer-producer, Natasha Kmeto.
To complete the season in June, Vox Musica performs SOLI: A Vox Recital, in which members of the ensemble will perform as soloists, singing traditional and contemporary arias and art songs. In addition to the stunning voices of Vox, SOLI will feature a guest performance by Soprano Robin Fisher.
“Vox Musica’s dedication to new music has been a hallmark of our activities since our inception,” notes Founder/Music Director Daniel Paulson. “The continued vitality of the choral repertoire demands that we support and present the work of a diverse selection of living composers.” This season the ensemble will perform over seven concerts across the greater Sacramento region, and will feature new works especially written for women’s voices bringing to the Sacramento region composers, conductors and musicians of national, and international acclaim.
<<See attached calendar listing for full date and venue details.>>
PROJECT ONE – KÖR: The Music of Karin Rehnqvist
Vox Musica opens its sixth season on October 8th and 9th with KÖR: The Music of Karin Rehnqvist. KÖR is a concert/lecture style performance that will highlight works by Swedish composer and Vox Musica’s composer-in-residence Karin Rehnqvist (www.karin-rehnqvist.se). Rehnqvist’s music mixes Swedish folk traditions mixed with contemporary sonic effects. As Guy Rickards wrote in “Gramophone”, her music is at once “radically new and extremely old.” Themes of life, death and love will be explored in a program of extraordinary contemporary music from Sweden. This dynamic concert will include an inside look at the music through video conversations presented by the composer herself. KÖR will feature the US premier of Rehnqvist’s Till Ängeln med de brinnande händerna, a mystical work on life and death that is accompanied by Oboe, Flute, and two Cellos. Members of Vox Musica’s newest ensemble, the PS7 Chorus, add to this concert by joining Vox on Rehnqvist’s Me voice. Où es-tu? while being accompanied by congas. KÖR: The Music of Karin Rehnqvist will be performed on Saturday, October 8, 2011 at 7:00 pm (6:15 pre-concert talk) and Sunday, October 9, 2011 at 5:00 pm, both at St. John’s Lutheran Church (1701 L Street, Sacramento, CA).
LEARN & HEAR: Join us before the concert on Saturday, October 8th at 6:15 pm for our “Learn & Hear” pre-concert talk which will focus on the musical elements to be unveiled in our music, including a unique meet-the-composer session with one of our featured composer Karin Rehnqvist. LEARN & HEAR: Learn about the music then hear it in the concert.
PROJECT TWO – NOBIS: A Vox Christmas
Quickly becoming a beloved Sacramento seasonal tradition, NOBIS: A Vox Christmas, will once again blend the old with the new. From the simplicity of a Gregorian chant to the complexity of a Renaissance motet, Vox Musica celebrates the mystery and wonder of Christmas with a dynamic program of Medieval and Renaissance works juxtaposed with contemporary carols. NOBIS features the presentation of holiday works for organ and piano accompaniment. Included on this performance is the ethereal and angst-ridden work, Litanies à la Vierge noire, composed by Francis Poulenc for women’s voices and organ. Adding to this performance will be works by Bay Area composer Kurt Erickson, Texas-based composer Joshua Shank, and famed medieval composer Hildegard von Bingen. NOBIS: A Vox Christmas will be performed on Friday, December 2, 2011 at 8:00 pm and Saturday, December 3, 2011 at 7:00 pm (6:15 pre-concert talk), both at St. John’s Lutheran Church (1701 L Street, Sacramento, CA).
LEARN & HEAR: Join us before the concert on Saturday, December 3rd at 6:15 pm for our “Learn & Hear” pre-concert talk which will be focused on how Medieval, Renaissance and Baroques musical techniques are exemplified in contemporary compositions. LEARN & HEAR: Learn about the music then hear it in the concert.
PROJECT THREE – REMIX: Voices and Electronics
Vox Musica has a tradition of presenting inventive and adventurous concert projects to celebrate the yearly anniversary of its inception. Keeping with that tradition, Vox Musica will be performing a remarkable concert project weaving the voices of Vox between pulsating beats and a blurry haze of electronics in REMIX: Voices and Electronics. This “not-to-miss” concert project is a collaborative performance between Vox Musica and the Portland-based electro hip-hop singer-producer, Natasha Kmeto (www.natashakmeto.com). Adding to this performance will be the premier of a commissioned work for women’s voices and electronics by Indianapolis-based composer Benjamin Martinson. This new work for voices and electronics is set to surreal poems that reflect on perception and existence. Don’t miss out on experiencing this eclectic mix of electronic soundscapes, looping beats, cooing vocals, and swelling choral sounds in an evening that will be “a lot electronic, little bit electronica, but totally electrifying!” REMIX: Voices and Electronics is on Saturday, March 24, 2012 at 7:00 pm (6:15 pre-concert talk) and Sunday, March 25, 2012 at 5:00 pm, both at St. John’s Lutheran Church (1701 L Street, Sacramento, CA).
LEARN & HEAR: Join us before the concert on Saturday, March 24 at 6:15 pm for our pre-concert talk which will focus on the unique concepts behind merging electronic and choral music, and will include a meet and greet with our guest artist, Natasha Kmeto. LEARN & HEAR: Learn about the music then hear it in the concert.
PROJECT FOUR – SOLI: A Vox Recital
Completing its season, Vox Musica performs SOLI: A Vox Recital. The members of Vox Musica include some of Sacramento’s most virtuosic, colorful, and dynamic vocalists. They are graduates of music programs at fine colleges and universities and are professional musicians and teachers throughout the Sacramento area. This project will highlight their individual talents and provide our patrons a rare opportunity to hear selected members perform as soloists, singing Romantic Arias, Baroque duets, German art-songs, and Jazz standards, as well as Folk and Bluegrass pieces. Members of Vox Musica will be accompanied by pianist Steven Johnson. SOLI: A Vox Recital will be performed on one night only, on Saturday, June 2, 2012 at 7:00 pm (6:15 pre-concert talk) at St. John’s Lutheran Church (1701 L Street, Sacramento, CA).
LEARN & HEAR: Join us before the concert on Saturday, June 2nd at 6:15 pm for our pre-concert talk which will focus on the skills and techniques singers use in order to perform in an ensemble versus as a soloist, and will include a meet and greet with the ladies of Vox. LEARN & HEAR: Learn about the music then hear it in the concert.
VOX OUTREACH PROGRAMS
While public performances are an important part of Vox Musica’s annual activities, so is our outreach to the community. Along with our 2011/12 season Vox Musica features an enriching educational outreach program that fosters an appreciation and understanding of music, increases exposure to the choral arts, and creates partnerships with High School and University music programs. One highlight of our 2011/12 season is the recent partnership between Vox Musica and St. Hope Public School’s Junior High, PS7 wherein Vox is developing a choral music program for their institution. This exciting program has already begun and boasts 30+ singers from the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades. Along with their own performances you may periodically see appearances of the PS7 Chorus at our concert projects throughout the year. Another feature of our Educational Outreach programs that are offered this season is our LEARN & HEAR lecture series. Patrons are provided the unique opportunity to come early to our performance and listen to engaging lectures, discussion, and demonstrations on the music that is to be performed with our Music Director, Guest Composers, and Musicians. These often include a time to meet-and-greet our guests and performers before the concert. LEARN & HEAR: Learn about the music then hear it in the concert.
SEASON PASSES
Season Passes are available for our 2011/12 season. Passes are good for our performances in Sacramento, and can be used for both Saturday and Sunday performances of any particular Concert Project. Season Passes are $50.00, a 20% discount off of the full price for four concerts. Single ticket prices are $15 for general admission seating. Season Passes are now available and can be purchased on our website, via phone, or through e-mail, and single tickets go on sale one month prior to each performance. To request a brochure, call 916.471.0507 or email Info@VoxMusica.net. For group sales of ten or more, call 916.471.0507 or e-mail Tickets@VoxMusica.net.
ABOUT THE ENSEMBLE
Vox Musica was founded in 2006 in a niche of untapped potential in Sacramento’s budding classical music scene. This stunning women’s ensemble enjoys the privileged position of nurturing the choral arts by combining outstanding vocal artistry with innovative programming. Vox Musica is committed to excellence in performance of diverse and challenging choral literature for women’s voices and is dedicated to promoting new works, including many premiers and commissioned works. Through collaborations with composers, conductors, choirs and musicians from around the world, Vox Musica’s featured concert projects have included collected works from the 18th century Venetian Ospedali, eastern music from India, Persia, and Georgia, and a concert of music for Taiko Drums and Women’s Voices. Vox Musica has released one compact disc, has presented dual concert seasons in both Sacramento and Napa, and has been a featured artist on the prestigious Old First Concert Series in San Francisco.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Daniel Paulson holds a Bachelor of Music degree in voice performance from California State University, Sacramento, and has a Masters of Music Degree in Choral Conducing from California State University, Los Angeles. Hailed as an “astute programmer” and a conductor who can “coax urbane performances from his singers,” Daniel has conducted the Dixon Community Choir, the Orchestra of St. Cecilia, All Hollows Chorus, has served as assistant chorus master and section principle for the Choir of St. Cecilia, and was the featured guest conductor for the 2010 Northern Zone Nevada Music Educators Association High School Honor Choir. One of the highlights of his career was the creation of a children’s chorus program for the Gold River Discovery Center Elementary School in the San Juan Unified School District. Recently he has conducted at The Festival of New American Music in Sacramento, CA, The Old First Concert Series in San Francisco, CA, and the American Choral Directors Association National Convention in Chicago, IL. In addition to Vox Musica, Paulson is Director of Music Ministry at the Dixon United Methodist Church and works in the Music Department at American River College.
CONTACT: Parisa Soultani, Executive Director, 916.764.2711; Parisa@VoxMusica.net
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CALENDAR LISTING
Vox Musica 2011/12 SIXTH SEASON
CLASSICAL MUSIC SEASON
Vox Musica, the stunning women’s vocal group which has been hailed by the Sacramento Bee as an ensemble with “intense color,” a “delicate touch,” and “incandescent performance[s],” will perform a four-concert, eight-performance season across the greater Sacramento area. Their sixth concert season will highlight the LEARN & HEAR lecture series and will once again be saturated with dynamic adventurous contemporary music, including a cutting edge performance of electronic music.
KÖR: The Music of Karin Rehnqvist
Vox Musica opens its sixth season on October 8th and 9th with KÖR: The Music of Karin Rehnqvist, a lecture-style performance that will highlight works by Swedish composer and Vox Musica’s composer-in-residence Karin Rehnqvist. KÖR will feature the US premier of Rehnqvist’s Till Ängeln med de brinnande händerna, a mystical work on life and death that is accompanied by Oboe, Flute, and two Cellos.
Sacramento
St. John’s Lutheran Church, 1701 L Street; Sacramento, CA 95811
Saturday, October 8, 2011 • 7pm (6:15 pre-concert talk)
Sunday, October 9, 2011 • 5pm
(Tickets are $15.00 and can be purchased online at: www.VoxMusica.net
or reserved by calling 916.471.0507)
NOBIS: A Vox Christmas
Quickly becoming a beloved Sacramento seasonal tradition, NOBIS: A Vox Christmas, will once again blend the old with the new. From the simplicity of a Gregorian chant to the complexity of a Renaissance motet, Vox Musica celebrates the mystery and wonder of Christmas with a dynamic program of Medieval and Renaissance works juxtaposed with contemporary carols. NOBIS features the presentation of holiday works for organ and piano accompaniment. Included on this performance is the ethereal and angst-ridden work, Litanies à la Vierge noire, composed by Francis Poulenc for women’s voices and organ.
Sacramento
St. John’s Lutheran Church, 1701 L Street; Sacramento, CA 95811
Friday, December 2, 2011 • 8pm
Saturday, December 3, 2010 • 7pm (6:15 pre-concert talk)
(Tickets are $15.00 and can be purchased online at: www.VoxMusica.net
or reserved by calling 916.471.0507)
REMIX: Voices and Electronics
Vox Musica has a tradition of presenting inventive and adventurous concert projects to celebrate the yearly anniversary of its inception. Keeping with that tradition, Vox Musica will be performing a remarkable concert project weaving the voices of Vox between pulsating beats and a blurry haze of electronics in REMIX: Voices and Electronics. This “not-to-miss” concert project is a collaborative performance between Vox Musica and the Portland-based electro hip-hop singer-producer, Natasha Kmeto (www.natashakmeto.com). Don’t miss out on experiencing this eclectic mix of electronic soundscapes, looping beats, cooing vocals, and swelling choral sounds in an evening that will be “a lot electronic, little bit electronica, but totally electrifying!”
Sacramento
St. John’s Lutheran Church, 1701 L Street; Sacramento, CA 95811
Saturday, March 24, 2012 • 7pm (6:15 pre-concert talk)
Sunday, March 25, 2012 • 5pm
(Tickets are $15.00 and can be purchased online at: www.VoxMusica.net
or reserved by calling 916.471.0507)
SOLI: A Vox Recital
Completing its season, Vox Musica performs SOLI: A Vox Recital. This project will highlight selected members of Vox Musica by showcasing their talents and will provide our patrons with a rare opportunity to hear them perform as soloists, singing Romantic Arias, Baroque duets, German art songs, and Jazz standards, as well as Folk and Bluegrass pieces.
Sacramento
St. John’s Lutheran Church, 1701 L Street; Sacramento, CA 95811
Saturday, June 2, 2012 • 7pm (6:15 pre-concert talk)
(Tickets are $15.00 and can be purchased online at: www.VoxMusica.net
or reserved by calling 916.471.0507)
TICKETS
Single ticket prices are $15.00 for general admission seating. Season Passes are available for our 2011/12 season. Passes are good for our performances in Sacramento, and can be used for both Saturday and Sunday performances of any particular concert. Season Passes are $50.00, a 20% discount off of the full price for four concerts. Tickets and Passes are now available and can be purchased on our website, via phone, or through e-mail, and single tickets go on sale one month prior to each performance.
To request a brochure, call 916.471.0507 or email Info@VoxMusica.net.
For group sales of ten or more, call 916.471.0507 or e-mail at Tickets@VoxMusica.net.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Parisa Soultani, Executive Director, 916.764.2711; Parisa@VoxMusica.net
EDITORS: Digital photos available upon request or are ready for download at http://www.voxmusica.net under the [News] heading and then click on [Press Kit]
INTERVIEW CONTACT: Parisa Soultani, Executive Director, 916.764.2711; Parisa@VoxMusica.net.
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