Articles by CollegiumVocaleWP
REJOICE AND BE GLAD! Four Sacred Cantatas of Christoph Graupner
Touch this link to retrieve PDF – Press Release_Collegium Vocale Performs REJOICE AND BE GLAD Cantatas of C Graupner_3 Feb 2019_Concordia Lutheran Church
The Collegium Vocale of Saint Louis
CollegiumVocaleOfSaintLouis.org / facebook.com/CVSTL
January 17, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Dr. Bruce Carvell, CVSL Artistic Director
(314) 650-3817 or stltenor@att.net
The COLLEGIUM VOCALE OF SAINT LOUIS presents
REJOICE AND BE GLAD! Four Sacred Cantatas of Christoph Graupner
- LOUIS, MISSOURI – The COLLEGIUM VOCALE OF ST. LOUIS is proud to present “Rejoice and Be Glad!: Four Sacred Cantatas by Christoph Graupner,” a concert of Baroque sacred music on Sunday, February 3, 2019 at 3:00 p.m. Dr Bruce Carvell will give an introductory lecture at 2:30 p.m. to provide greater context and insight into Graupner and his music. The concert will be performed at Concordia Lutheran Church, 505 S. Kirkwood Road, 63122. Suggested donation – $10.
Christoph Graupner, a contemporary of J. S. Bach, was a prolific and highly-regarded composer in the first half of the 18th century. After a long period of obscurity, his music is being rediscovered and brought before the public worldwide. An innovative and imaginative composer, Graupner has a distinctive style showing great invention and variety in his use of form, text-setting and instrumentation. The four sacred cantatas are newly edited from his manuscripts especially for this concert. These performances will be the American premieres of these masterful works. The six vocalists of the COLLEGIUM VOCALE will be accompanied by an ensemble of highly-skilled musicians playing instruments of the period or modern replicas of recorders, violins, viola, cello, trumpet, bassoon, and organ.
Concordia Lutheran Church in Kirkwood provides a beautiful and resonant space in which to experience the intriguing and expressive artistry of this delightful music.
The COLLEGIUM VOCALE OF ST. LOUIS, a 501(c)3 organization, is devoted to presenting historically informed performances of a diverse and wide-ranging repertory of 17th- and 18th-century music for voices and instruments.
WHAT: REJOICE AND BE GLAD! Four Sacred Cantatas of Christoph Graupner
Performed by THE COLLEGIUM VOCALE OF ST. LOUIS
Suggested donation $10 / Free parking
WHEN: Sunday, February 3, 2019, 3 p.m.
Introductory lecture at 2:30 p.m.
WHERE: Concordia Lutheran Church
505 S. Kirkwood Road
Kirkwood, Missouri, 63122
###
A few thoughts about our 2017-2018 season.
As I reflect on our three concerts from the past season, I am proud of our achievements.
We met several milestones for our organization: We continue to present high quality performances of little-known music of the Baroque period. With our February concert of three Bach cantatas performed in the magnificent Trinity Lutheran Church in Soulard, we featured the largest instrumental ensemble that we have ever used, including trumpet, 2 oboes, flute, bassoon, strings and organ. We added to our roster of talented singers with the appearance of soprano Emily Truckenbrod in our February and May concerts and bass-baritone Robert Reed on our Bach concert.
A few performances that remain vivid in my memory from this past season include Nathan Ruggles’ colorful performance of Telemann’s “Der Schulmeister” in October, Robert Reed with John Korak on trumpet, in the stirring bass aria from Cantata #5 in February, and Stephanie Ruggles, contralto, lyrical performance of Scarlatti’s solo cantata, “Son io, barbara donna,.” Each one of our performers is a standout in their field, so it’s really not fair of me to single anyone out for special notice. However, these seemed to me occasions where the music and performer met in a special way.
I want to take this opportunity to thank all our supporters who come to our concerts and offer financial support that allows us to produce these rare concerts of worthy, but often neglected compositions. I was particularly gratified by the response to our appeal for donations to help with the purchase of the Roland portable organ that we have been borrowing from Concordia Seminary over the past couple of years. The acquisition of this instrument, along with the generous donation by Elizabeth Horsley a couple of years ago, of a harpsichord, now enables us to function much more independently with these crucial keyboard continuo instruments.
Looking ahead to the coming season, I have been working on the music of François Couperin, whose 350th anniversity of his birth we will be celebrating in the fall. An organist, Couperin was one of the most outstanding musicians and composers of his day. We will be focusing on his sacred music, composed for Louis XIV and performed at Versailles. In the Winter, we will be presenting another in our series of concerts of modern premieres of sacred cantatas of Christoph Graupner. We are very excited to be among several international ensembles presenting these works for the first time since they were performed under Graupner himself. Our Spring concert will present vocal chamber music of the brothers Giovanni Bononicini and Antonio Maria Bononicini. While Giovanni, a well-known rival of Handel, is more famous than his younger brother, Antonio, I have found some really wonderful pieces that we will be presenting that demonstate Antonio’s considerable talent and well-developed skill.
Each of our programs is a labor of love for me. In the first place, I love searching for interesting music and matching each piece to one or several of our very talented performers. It is equally rewarding for me to join them in the preparation of this music for performance. Perhaps most satisfying is presenting each program to our loyal audience, enabling them to discover music that they would not have access to otherwise.
I hope to see you next season. Please tell your friends.
If you are not yet on our email list and would like to be, please notify me at stltenor@att.net.
Collegium Vocale presents A NEAPOLITAN SERENADE -18 May 2018 – Second Presbyterian Church
Press Release – February 5, 2018 – “AN ABUNDANCE OF GRACE: Sacred Cantatas of J S Bach”
Click here for complete PDF (including Concert Graphic)
THE COLLEGIUM VOCALE OF SAINT LOUIS
collegiumvocaleofsaintlouis.org & facebook.com/CVSTL
Feb 5, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Dr. Bruce Carvell, CVSL Artistic Director
(314) 650-3817 or stltenor@att.net
“AN ABUNDANCE OF GRACE: Sacred Cantatas of J S Bach”
ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI – The COLLEGIUM VOCALE OF ST. LOUIS is proud to present “AN
ABUNDANCE OF GRACE: Sacred Cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach,” a concert of baroque
sacred music on Sunday, February 18, 2018, 3:00 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church, 812 Soulard
Street, 63104. Admission is free, but donations are gratefully accepted. Introductory remarks will
be given by Dr. Bruce Carvell, Artistic Director, at 2:30 p.m.
Johann Sebastian Bach is one of the towering figures of Western music history. Among the vast
number of compositions he composed, his church cantatas often contain little-known gems. These
wonderful and varied pieces range from those composed for a single voice through magnificent
settings for large ensemble.
Bach began his tenure at the St. Thomas Church at the beginning of May, 1723. The program will
feature a performances of Cantata 147, “Herz und Mund und That und Leben,” first performed
early in his stay in Leipzig on July 2, 1723. Included in this cantata is the celebrated chorale
setting, “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring.” Also on the program will be Cantata 78, “Jesu, der du meine
Seele,” for four voices, flute, oboes, strings, bassoon, and organ, first performed in September,
1724, as well as Cantata 5, “Wo soll ich fliehen hin?,” for four voices, trumpet, oboes, bassoon,
strings, and organ, a cantata first performed in October, 1724.
The Collegium Vocale of St. Louis will be accompanied by an ensemble of top local baroque wind,
and string players, as well as guest artists Sarah Huebsch, of North Carolina, playing baroque
oboe, oboe d’amore and oboe da caccia; Nell French, of Kansas City, playing viola; Leighann
Daihl, of Indiana, playing baroque flute, and Charles Wines, of Indiana, playing baroque bassoon.
The COLLEGIUM VOCALE OF ST. LOUIS is an ensemble devoted to presenting historically
informed performances of a diverse and wide-ranging repertory of seventeenth and eighteenth
century music for voices and instruments.
WHAT: AN ABUNDANCE OF GRACE: Sacred Cantatas of J S Bach
Performed by THE COLLEGIUM VOCALE OF ST. LOUIS
WHEN: Sunday, February 18, 3:00 p.m.
WHERE: Trinity Lutheran Church
812 Soulard Street
St. Louis, Missouri, 63104
Suggested donation $10 / Free parking
The Collegium Vocale of St. Louis is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization.
# # #
Wo Wo soll ich fliehen hin?, BWV 5, Jesu, der du meine Seele, BWV 78, and
Herz und Mund und That und Leben, BWV 147
Sun, Feb 18, 2018, 3 pm
Trinity Lutheran Church
812 Soulard Street
St. Louis, MO, 63104
Suggested donation – $10
Introductory remarks at 2:30 pm
by Dr. Bruce Carvell, Artistic Director
Performed by
Featuring Period Instruments
Financial assistance for this project has been provided by the Missouri Arts Council,
a state agency, the Regional Arts Commission, and generous private donors.
October 15, 2017 For Immediate Release
THE COLLEGIUM VOCALE OF SAINT LOUIS
1326 Dietrich Oaks Drive, Ballwin, MO, 63021 | A Not-For-Profit 501(c)3 Organization
https://collegiumvocaleofsaintlouis.org/ | facebook.com/CVSTL
October 15, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Dr. Bruce Carvell, CVSL Artistic Director
(314) 650-3817 or stltenor@att.net
THE COLLEGIUM VOCALE OF SAINT LOUIS Presents
CELEBRATING TELEMANN: A Commemoration of the 250th Anniversary of His Death
ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI – THE COLLEGIUM VOCALE OF ST. LOUIS is proud to present “CELEBRATING TELEMANN: A Commemoration of the 250th Anniversary of His Death,” on Sunday, October 15, 2017 at 3 pm. The concert will be performed at First Congregational Church, 6501 Wydown Boulevard, Clayton, Missouri 63105. A pre-concert lecture will be presented by Dr. Bruce Carvell at 2:30 pm. Suggested donation of $10; free parking on the adjacent church lot.
Georg Phillip Telemann (1681-1767) was one of the most prolific composers of all time, according to his surviving oeuvre. He was held in the highest regard by his contemporaries; comparing very favorably with his colleagues, J. S. Bach and G. F. Handel. All during 2017, the 250th anniversary of Telemann’s death, the musical world is commemorating the work of this master.
The Collegium Vocale of St. Louis is proud to make its contribution to this celebration by presenting an overview of his compositions, which will include a number of St. Louis premieres. The program mixes both sacred and secular works, including several arias and a marvelous cantata for soprano and harpsichord, plus a lovely cantata for alto, two recorders and basso continuo. Another high point will be a performance of a little-known piece, Der Schulmeister, not the often-recorded version, but one that features a trio sonata for violins and continuo with a running commentary sung throughout. The concert will conclude with a masterful setting of Psalm 6, Ach Herr, strafe mich nicht, for voices and strings.
Vocalists Nancy Luetzow, Stephanie Ruggles, Willard Cobb, Dr. Bruce Carvell, and Nathan Ruggles will be accompanied by noted local musicians performing on period instruments tuned to baroque pitch.
WHAT: CELEBRATING TELEMANN: A Commemoration of the 250th Anniversary of His Death
Performed by THE COLLEGIUM VOCALE OF ST. LOUIS
WHEN: Sunday, October 15, 2017, 3:00 p.m.
WHERE: First Congregational Church
6501 Wydown Boulevard
Clayton, Missouri, 63105
Suggested donation $10 / Free parking
Collegium Vocale of St. Louis is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization.
May 21, 2017 For Immediate Release
THE COLLEGIUM VOCALE OF SAINT LOUIS
1326 Dietrich Oaks Drive, Ballwin, MO, 63021 | A Not-For-Profit 501(c)3 Organization
https://collegiumvocaleofsaintlouis.org/ | facebook.com/CVSTL
May 21, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Dr. Bruce Carvell, CVSL Artistic Director
(314) 650-3817 or stltenor@att.net
THE COLLEGIUM VOCALE OF SAINT LOUIS Presents
Collegium Vocale of St. Louis Performs
For the New World: Music from the Guatemala City Archives
ST. LOUIS, MO, – The Collegium Vocale of St. Louis is proud to present “For the New World: Music from the Guatemala City Archives,” featuring eighteenth-century music from Central America, on Sunday, May 21, 2017 at 3:00 p.m. The concert will be presented at St. Cecilia Catholic Church, 5418 Louisiana Ave., St. Louis, Missouri. Admission is free. Parking is available on the adjacent church lot.
1534 saw the founding of Guatemala City, now called Antigua, Guatemala, and the construction of the first Cathedral de Santiago there. Along with Mexico City, this became one of the most important centers of sacred music in New Spain. Latin American music composed during the colonial period has become more available in the past twenty years and has been described as the “new frontier in music history.” The Collegium Vocale program presents music by several composers, including the Italian-born Ignatio de Jerusalem, Mexican-born Manuel de Zumaya and Gregorio Soberanis, and Guatemalan-born Manuel de Quiròs and Rafael Castellanos. All of these pieces have been newly edited for this concert and will be heard for the very first time in St. Louis. We hope you will join with us in experiencing this fascinating and beautiful music in the architectural splendor of St. Cecilia’s.
About The Collegium Vocale of St. Louis:
Founded in 1997, The COLLEGIUM VOCALE OF ST. LOUIS is an ensemble devoted to presenting historically informed performances of a diverse and wide-ranging repertory of 17th- and 18th-century music for voices and instruments.
Collegium Vocale of St. Louis is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization.
Why Graupner?
I first discovered the music of Christoph Graupner in 2009 in an article in Early Music America written for the upcoming 250th Anniversary of his death in 1760. As the Artistic Director of the Collegium Vocale of St. Louis, the only ensemble in St. Louis focused on historically informed performance of Baroque vocal chamber music, I am always on the lookout for interesting music for the group to perform. Initially, I was attracted by the fact that his sacred music was very well suited to the resources of our ensemble, that it was a largely untapped body of interesting work, and that it was readily accessible on the Internet. As a musicologist, I was very excited to work from original sources in preparing our performing editions. This is the fourth concert of Graupner cantatas presented by the Collegium Vocale under my direction since 2010. I find Graupner’s cantatas to be endlessly fascinating in their musical inventiveness, colorful orchestrations, and sensitivity to the text. Graupner, held in high regard in his own day, deserves to be much better known today. This is music that delights the intellect and sings to the soul.
Bruce Carvell
Artistic Director
Collegium Vocale of St. Louis
On Sunday, February 26, Collegium Vocale of Saint Louis will perform Four Sacred Cantatas by Christoph Graupner. The concert begins on 3:00 PM but Introductory lecture starts @ 2:30 PM.Do not miss this uplifting performance!
January 17, 2017 For Immediate Release
THE COLLEGIUM VOCALE OF SAINT LOUIS
1326 Dietrich Oaks Drive, Ballwin, MO, 63021 | A Not-For-Profit 501(c)3 Organization
https://collegiumvocaleofsaintlouis.org/ | facebook.com/CVSTL
January 17, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Dr. Bruce Carvell, CVSL Artistic Director
(314) 650-3817 or stltenor@att.net
THE COLLEGIUM VOCALE OF SAINT LOUIS Presents
Collegium Vocale of St. Louis Performs First U.S. Concert of Little Known Works by Christoph Graupner
ST. LOUIS, MO, – The Collegium Vocale of St. Louis is proud to present Lift Your Eyes to Heaven: Four Sacred Cantatas by Christoph Graupner, on Sunday, February 26, 2017 at 3:00 p.m. This unique musical event will feature the first modern performances of these Baroque masterpieces by an important contemporary of J. S. Bach. The concert will be presented at Village Lutheran Church, 9237 Clayton Road, St. Louis, Missouri and includes an introductory lecture by Dr. Bruce Carvell at 2:30 p.m.
Christoph Graupner, a contemporary of J. S. Bach, was a prolific and highly regarded composer in his day. After a long period of neglect, Graupner’s music is again being performed around the world, here in St. Louis by the renowned Collegium Vocale of St. Louis. This concert offers patrons a rare opportunity to hear this marvelous music in a live performance.
Graupner, an innovative and imaginative composer, has a distinctive style that demonstrates great invention and variety in his approach to form, text-setting, and instrumentation, including solo appearances of instruments like the bassoon and viola, instruments not usually featured. The four cantatas being presented are newly edited from Graupner’s manuscripts especially for this concert.
To assure authenticity in performance, The Collegium Vocale of St. Louis includes an ensemble of top local instrumentalists playing Baroque string and wind instruments tuned to period pitch.
Admission to the concert is free; however, to support the arts and future performances, a minimum suggested donation of $10 will be gratefully accepted. Free parking is available on the adjacent church lot.
- What:
- Four Sacred Cantatas by Christoph Graupner (1683-1760)
Performed by THE COLLEGIUM VOCALE OF SAINT LOUIS
Introductory Lecture by Dr. Bruce Carvell at 2:30 pm - When:
- Sunday, February 26, 2017, 3:00 p.m.
- Where:
- Village Lutheran Church
9237 Clayton Road
Saint Louis, Missouri, 63124
About The Collegium Vocale of St. Louis:
Founded in 1997, The COLLEGIUM VOCALE OF ST. LOUIS is an ensemble devoted to presenting historically informed performances of a diverse and wide-ranging repertory of 17th- and 18th-century music for voices and instruments.
Collegium Vocale of St. Louis is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization.
Oct. 14, 2016 For Immediate Release
THE COLLEGIUM VOCALE OF SAINT LOUIS
1326 Dietrich Oaks Drive, Ballwin, MO, 63021 | A Not-For-Profit 501(c)3 Organization
https://collegiumvocaleofsaintlouis.org/
April 14, 2016
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Dr. Bruce Carvell, CVSL Artistic Director
(314) 650-3817 or stltenor@att.net
THE COLLEGIUM VOCALE OF SAINT LOUIS Presents
“Music for Rome!”
Sunday, October 23, 2016, 2:00 p.m.
Basilica of St. Louis (The Old Cathedral)
209 Walnut Street
Saint Louis, Missouri, 63102
Free admission / Free parking
ST. LOUIS, MO, – THE COLLEGIUM VOCALE OF ST. LOUIS is proud to present “Music for Rome!” a concert of sacred Italian music performed in Catholic churches in Rome in the early 18th century. The concert will be presented on Sunday, October 23, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. at the newly renovated Basilica of St. Louis (The Old Cathedral), 209 Walnut St. St. Louis 63102. Free-will donations are appreciated. Ample free parking is available on the adjacent church lot.
Rome has been the center of the Catholic church for centuries, always attracting the very best musicians and composers. Our program consists of outstanding examples of music that would have been heard in the churches of Rome. Included on our program are motets of Palestrina and Vittoria, representing the older polyphonic tradition. Also to be performed are solo motets and cantatas by noted composers Alessandro Stradella and Leonardo Vinci, typical of the ‘modern’ music of the Baroque period. Of special interest will be the performance of the celebrated Magnificat of Francesco Durante, which was one of the most admired compositions of the early 18th century. This piece will be performed in a five-part version with strings that has been newly edited especially for this program. The singers will be accompanied by an ensemble of period-appropriate instruments.
The Collegium is excited to perform this program in the resplendent beauty and resonant acoustics of the renovated Old Cathedral, which holds a special place in our local history. The recent nine-million dollar renovation of the Old Cathedral on the Mississippi riverfront included careful repairs and replacement of interior and exterior treatments with special attention to original design elements. This is a rare opportunity to hear this glorious music while experiencing the visual and aural beauty of one of St. Louis’ most important landmarks.
The COLLEGIUM VOCALE OF ST. LOUIS is an ensemble devoted to presenting historically informed performances of a diverse and wide-ranging repertory of 17th- and 18th-century music and has been presenting concerts to St. Louis audiences for over twenty years