Tag Archives: Texas Choral Consort

“The Sounding Joy” of a Warm Hug!

~posted by Dianne Donovan, KMFA-FM announcer

[Dianne Donovan had the honor of introducing Texas Choral Consort’s Concert, Sounding Joy — Navidad Nuestra, last Saturday,  December 1st. It was directed by Brent Baldwin, with soloists: tenor Soon-Chan Kwon, and soprano Kirsten Watson.]

Texas Choral Consort

Texas Choral Consort’s Christmas tradition — “The Sounding Joy”

TCC’s annual holiday concert felt like a warm hug to *this* listener. We have so many wonderful choral groups in Austin, but TCC is close to my heart because they feature an un-auditioned chorus of folks who just want to sing great music. That doesn’t mean that Artistic Director, Brent Baldwin selects the “greatest hits” that many of us have already sung in choir, quite to the contrary…  In fact, the centerpiece, Navid Nuestra, by Ariel Ramírez, was relatively new, having been written in 1964.  Add to that, two world-premieres by Austin-based composers, Donald Grantham and Russell Reed, and this was a concert wherein the audience would lean in, so as not to miss a thing.

TCC's Artistic Director, Brent Baldwin, and featured composer Donald Grantham

TCC’s Artistic Director, Brent Baldwin, and featured composer Donald Grantham

Reed’s La Noche Oscura contained gorgeously haunting harmonies that would be a challenge for most choruses. TCC did a fine job of presenting the work. Grantham’s beautiful setting of Maria Walks Amid the Thorn was a feast for the ears. In Navida Nuestra, the chorus was joined by the fabulous tenor-about-town, Soon-Chan Kwon. I have promised to add this piece to my personal Christmas playlist.

Dianne Donovan, Brent Baldwin, and tenor soloist Soon-Chan Kwon

Dianne Donovan, Brent Baldwin, and tenor soloist Soon-Chan Kwon

TCC did perform some chestnuts (roasting on an open fire) of Christmas Carols, at which time Brent Baldwin asked the audience to sing along. These were place every so often within the concert program, which helped to give the whole program (lasting about an hour) a beautiful flow.

On a warm winter’s night, it really was a Sounding Joy and a warm hug.

Here are some brief video excerpts from a few of the pieces we enjoyed:

The audience sings along with “Angels We Have Heard on High”

A haunting excerpt from “La Noche Oscura”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbago_fMKnA

This part is from “Maria Walks Amid the Thorn,” with Kirsten Watson soloing:

And a short glimpse of  guest tenor Soon-Chan Kwon in “Navidad Nuestra”

     ~posted by Dianne Donovan, KMFA announcer and producer of Classical Austin

Excelling without Excluding: Texas Choral Consort’s Summer Symposium

Submitted by Phil Pollack

The Texas Choral Consort (TCC) recently concluded their 12th season with a non-auditioned symposium concert titled “A Shadow of Light.” I was fortunate enough to be in attendance for the Sunday performance and TCC treated me to five works from disparate musical periods, performing each piece admirably.

 

TCC

 Each of these works was tied to the others by its composer’s homage to earlier periods and musical styles, and for a universal music lover such as myself there really could not have been a better format for a concert. Not only did I receive a fresh lesson in Baroque music, something I admittedly know little about, but I was treated to two modern pieces, one of which was being premiered by TCC. I thoroughly enjoyed this premier work, Peter Stopschinski’s Orff’s Good Fortune. For me, it was the highlight of the show, combining elements of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana with chord progressions I swear I’ve heard in modern pop music.
 

great stuff 003

 In addition to the stellar musical content, I was also impressed by the balance between the instrumentalists and the singers. Each performer in the group knew when to stand out and when to sit back, and their musical blend benefited immensely from this attention to detail. Northwest Hills United Methodist Church provided a great venue for the musical interplay, allowing the audience to hear all of the detail in these works without blowing them back in their seats. All of this from a group that accepts anyone in their symposiums; the only requirement being a genuine interest in singing. If you are interested in learning more about this Austin choral group, visit their newly redesigned website: www.txconsort.org.
 

~ Phil Pollack,  KMFA  Technology & Production

Texas Choral Consort rocks the house… errr… church

Each year December is jammed packed with holiday parties, performances, and gatherings.  It’s tough to choose what to attend and what to skip.  I had a jammed packed weekend (it seems everyone I know was born in December) but I’m so delighted that I took some time to attend Texas Choral Consort’s Carols & Lullabies last Saturday night.

 

The program consisted of some familiar and some not so familiar holiday tunes.  Benjamin Britten’s “Ceremony of Carols” was performed with vigor and oomph ending the first half of the concert on a perfect note.

 

The real gem of this concert, however, was Conrad Susa’s “Carols and Lullabies: Christmas in the Southwest” where lullabies and seasonal songs were played from the south west corners of the world.  Several songs were sung in variations of Spanish.  My favorite without a doubt was the Nigerian song that ended that collection.  Conductor Brent Baldwin asked audience members to take our keys out and provide a little added percussion to the group.  As always Texas Choral Consort provided a quality, upstanding performance while remaining fun and interesting. Can’t wait to see what they perform next holiday season!

 

Judy Watts, Development Associate