Many choirs are lucky enough to be able to commission brand new pieces of music on a regular basis, fostering artistic collaboration and adding to the choral canon. The Capitol Hill Chorale is one of them, with a history of commissioning new works from a variety of composers. We are thrilled to announce that this concert marks a turning point in our relationship with one of our very favorites—Kevin Siegfried, the CHC’s new Composer in Residence.
Starting with this concert and extending into the next several years, Kevin will work with the Chorale and our Artistic Director, Frederick Binkholder, to create original music. Much of this music will explore past musical traditions and themes, in a new light from a modern composer. And you, our audience, will have the privilege of being the first to hear it.
Kevin is a prolific composer with a Doctor of Musical Arts in Composition from the New England Conservatory and a spot on the faculty of the Boston Conservatory. Our audience may remember our last collaboration with Kevin in our June 2011 concert, featuring the stellar “Child of Earth,” a cantata for mezzo-soprano, chorus, strings, and harp.
Our upcoming Rivers of Delight concert is the perfect concert for such an exciting announcement, as one of Kevin’s fortes is music from the Shaker tradition, which we will visit in several of his songs. These include the first result of Kevin’s residency--the glorious a cappella Angels Hovering Around.
You won’t want to miss the beginnings of a long and fruitful relationship as we extend a hearty welcome to the Chorale’s very first Composer in Residence, Kevin Siegfried.