Duke Ellington's "Sacred Concerts"
Jun
1
4:00 PM16:00

Duke Ellington's "Sacred Concerts"

“Everyone prays in his own language.” A program of selections from Duke Ellington’s ground-breaking Sacred Concerts. With pianist Jay Fluellen and ensemble, original Ellington soloist DeVonne Gardner, soprano Brittany Rumpf, and baritone Shafiq Hicks. The Choral Society will also be joined by the Philadelphia Mass Community Choir and The Intermezzo Ministry Choir, Carrie Essene, director.

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"In the Light" with The Crossing and Donald Nally
Mar
30
8:00 PM20:00

"In the Light" with The Crossing and Donald Nally

These concerts have been postponed to allow for The Crossing’s special performance in memory of Joe Flummerfelt on Saturday, June 30 at 8pm at Chestnut Hill Presbyterian Church.

The Grammy-winning choir The Crossing under the direction of Donald Nally will present the premiere performances of Thomas Lloyd's In the Light. Following on the success of Lloyd's Bonhoeffer, this second concert-length choral theater work probes the dystopian social dynamics of a religious community where psychological control is maintained through the choir and its Abbess-conductor. In the Light is a work of fiction based on the composer’s research in to the Community of Jesus in Orleans, Massachusetts.

The result of six years of research involving public documents, media investigations, visits with former members and a visit to the community, the work raises essential questions about what it means to lead and what it means to follow within groups at all levels of our society. When do we cross the line from productive to dysfunctional, from life-affirming to malevolent? Can individuals survive such an experience and come out the other side with a sense of self still remaining? Can religious faith survive such a reckoning with the persistence of human evil?

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Cesar Franck's The Beatitudes
Mar
24
4:00 PM16:00

Cesar Franck's The Beatitudes

The Bucks County Choral Society with Symphony in C perform the modern regional premiere of Cesar Franck’s oratorio Les Beatitudes in an 1899 English translation by Catherine M. Bradley. With soloists Melissa Mino, soprano, Misoon Ghim, mezzo soprano, Dann Coakwell, tenor, Randall Scarlatta, baritone, and Jason Switzer, bass-baritone.

For a listener’s guide with audio highlights, click here.

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An Evensong for Creation
Nov
18
4:00 PM16:00

An Evensong for Creation

Concluding the Cathedral’s observation of the national church’s “Season of Creation” the Cathedral Singers offer an Evensong featuring Aaron Copland’s iconic In the Beginning as the main anthem; all music on the program will be by American composers.

Leo Sowerby – Eternal Light

Stephen Caracciolo – Preces and Responses

David Hogan – Mt. St. Alban Service

Aaron Copland – In the Beginning

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Annual Diocesan Convention Eucharist
Nov
9
6:30 PM18:30

Annual Diocesan Convention Eucharist

The Cathedral Singers sing for the annual Convention Eucharist of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania. Along with Charles Wood’s “O Thou, The Central Orb” the choir will sing Andrea Clearfield’s “The Song of Hannah,” commissioned for this occasion by the Women’s Sacred Music Project in honor of the 15th anniversary of the supplementary hymnal Voices Found, dedicated to women composers and hymn writers.

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"The Good Earth - Songs for Sharing" - A Benefit concert for the hungry
Sep
16
2:00 PM14:00

"The Good Earth - Songs for Sharing" - A Benefit concert for the hungry

  • Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral, 19 South 38th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

A song recital with Cathedral singers Suzanne DuPlantis, Jane Kamp, Kevin McDowell, and Thomas Lloyd, with Laura Ward at the piano. Suggested donation range $10-25 and/or non-perishable foods; benefits the Cathedral Table Ministries.

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Good Friday noon service at the Cathedral
Mar
30
12:00 PM12:00

Good Friday noon service at the Cathedral

The Cathedral's annual Good Friday liturgy, with reading of the Passion, adoration of the Cross, and communion from the reserved sacrament.

Anthems sung by the Cathedral Singers:

     Orlando Gibbons, arr. Lloyd - Drop, slow tears
     Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy - Am Karfreitung
     John Blow - My God, look upon me
     Francis Poulenc - Tenebrae factae sunt
     William Dawson - Steal Away
     William Byrd - Ave Verum Corpus

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Berlioz Requiem
Mar
18
4:00 PM16:00

Berlioz Requiem

The Bucks County Choral Society and the Riverside Symphonia perform the Berlioz Requiem with Dann Coakwell, tenor soloist. For tickets and further information, click here.  To follow a podcast series introducing the Berlioz Requiem by comparing settings of the same sections of text by Mozart and Verdi, search for "Berlioz Requiem" on iTunes, Apple Podcasts, or Google Play Music - or click here to listen or download.

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The Soul Cries Out - An Evensong for Lent
Mar
11
4:00 PM16:00

The Soul Cries Out - An Evensong for Lent

Our seventh annual evensong for Lent featuring music of African-American traditions, this year with special guests the Sister Cities Girlchoir. Music for the service will include:

Cathedral Singers:
     Preces and responses: Gabriel Jackson
     T. Tertius Noble - Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis in B minor
     (Thomas Lloyd, cantor and conductor; Richard Spots, organ)
Sister Cities Girlchoir:
     Hlonofatsal (South Africa)
     Walker - How much we can bear
     Franklin - Melodies from Heaven
     (Alysia Lee and Anne Agresta Dugan, conductors, Irina Bakis, piano)
 

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Dec
31
4:00 PM16:00

Watch Night for Racial Justice - An evening of Jazz at the Cathedral to benefit POWER

Watch Night for Racial Justice
An Evening of Jazz at the Cathedral
to benefit POWER
(Philadelphians Organized to Witness, Empower, and Rebuild)
New Year’s Eve – Sunday, December 31, 2017
4:00-7:00 music; 7:00 interfaith worship

In a new initiative inaugurated in response to the alarming increase in racist violence and injustice over the past year, the Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral will host a New Year’s Eve event called Watch Night for Racial Justice – An Evening of Jazz at the Cathedral. The event celebrates the tradition of “Watch Night” which began on New Year’s Eve 1863 in black churches throughout the nation awaiting the announcement of the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1864.

A family-friendly event, the evening will start at 4:00pm at the Cathedral with three hours of performances by leading area jazz musicians, including vocalists Ruth Naomi Floyd, DeVonne Gardner, and Lourin Plant, pianists Jay Fluellen and Sumi Tonooka, drummer Kimpedro Rodriguez, and the Clef Club Student Ensemble directed by Lovett Hines.

The evening will culminate in a 7:00pm interfaith Watch Night service, also in the Cathedral, involving an interfaith group of clergy led by the Very Rev. Judith Sullivan, Dean of the Cathedral as presider and the Rev. Nicolas O’Rourke of POWER and the Living Water United Church of Christ as homilist.

The event will also be a fund-raiser to benefit two social justice efforts: 1. POWER (Philadelphians Organized to Witness, Empower & Rebuild) – www.powerinterfaith.org – which is Pennsylvania’s largest faith-rooted, racial and economic justice organization and is comprised of fifty-five diverse congregations representing more than 40,000 people across Greater Philadelphia, and 2). The Episcopal Cathedral Table Ministries which meet the immediate material needs of food, clothing, and social services of the people of West Philadelphia.

No advance tickets are required.  A freewill offering will be taken throughout the event.  Those who cannot attend but wish to contribute, or would like to contribute in advance, can do so online by going to https://goo.gl/mYD1Vt and clicking on “Support the Cathedral” and designating your gift for “Watch Night.”

The Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral is located at 19 South 38th Street between Chestnut and Market streets in University City. One or more food trucks operated by local vendors will be offering a variety of convenient and low-cost options in front of the Cathedral throughout the event.  FREE PARKING WILL BE AVAILABLE THROUGHOUT THE EVENT IN THE OPEN PARKING LOT ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE CATHEDRAL ON 38th AND MARKET (THE CAR ENTRANCE TO THE PARKING LOT IS ON 39th STREET).

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Christmas Eve Service at the Cathedral
Dec
24
5:00 PM17:00

Christmas Eve Service at the Cathedral

Our annual candlelight Christmas Eve service begins with a choral prelude at 5:00.  Selections will include: 

arr. Lloyd - People look East (new!)
arr. Lloyd – O Come Emmanuel (processional)
Poulenc – Hodie Christus natus est
R.R.Terry – Myn Lyking
Pearsall/Westbrook – In dulci Jubilo
Mark Sirett – Dormi, Jesu

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Celebrating our Common Baptism: An Ecumenical Commemoration - 1517-2017
Oct
29
3:00 PM15:00

Celebrating our Common Baptism: An Ecumenical Commemoration - 1517-2017

The Cathedral hosts a special service planned by the ecumenical Philadelphia Liturgical Institute - I will be conducting an ad-hoc choir drawn from area churches in Moses Hogan's arrangement of Deep River.  Contact me at tlloyd@philadelphiacathedral.org and I will send you the music and midi files (one combined rehearsal only, at 2:00!)

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Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral - Homecoming Sunday
Sep
17
10:00 AM10:00

Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral - Homecoming Sunday

  • Philadephia Episcopal Cathedral (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

The Cathedral Singers return for Homecoming Sunday at our 10:00am weekly Eucharist.  Our anthem will be Gerald Near's Love (2013). Volunteers with prior choral experience interested in auditioning for the choir should contact Thomas Lloyd at tlloyd@philadelphiacathedral.org to arrange a visit and friendly audition!

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BCCS season finale: "A Soulful Celebration" with Ruth Naomi Floyd and Jay Fluellen
Jun
4
4:00 PM16:00

BCCS season finale: "A Soulful Celebration" with Ruth Naomi Floyd and Jay Fluellen

 

A Soulful Celebration
Spirituals, Gospel & Sacred Jazz

The Bucks County Choral Society celebrates the depth of feeling plumbed from the soul in the performance of spirituals, gospel and sacred jazz in the African-American tradition. We will be joined by Ruth Naomi Floyd, composer and vocalist, and Jay Fluellen, composer and pianist, along with the Northeast Philadelphia High School Concert Choir, directed by Fluellen.  Click here for tickets and further information. 

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Michael Tippett - A Child of Our Time
Apr
23
3:00 PM15:00

Michael Tippett - A Child of Our Time

  • Haverford College - Marshall Auditorium (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

In his last performance with the Haverford/Bryn Mawr Chorale and Chorale Orchestra, Thomas Lloyd conducts Michael Tippett's landmark oratorio, A Child of Our Time, composed during World War II in response to the events of "Kristallnacht" and incorporating monumental settings of five African-American spirituals. Open to the public without advance tickets or charge.

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Jan
6
to Jan 15

Chamber Singers Berlin Tour

 

 

CHAMBER SINGERS OF HAVERFORD AND BRYN MAWR COLLEGES TO EMBARK ON CULTURAL EXCHANGE TOUR OF BERLIN, JANUARY 6-15, 2017 

Select Bi-College Vocal Group to Work with German Citizens and Refugees from Syria and Eritrea in Community and University Choir Partnerships

BRYN MAWR and HAVERFORD, PA – October 26, 2016 ––The Haverford College Music Department and the Bryn Mawr College Office for the Arts is pleased to announce the Chamber Singers  of Haverford  and Bryn Mawr Colleges  will travel to Berlin on an international cultural exchange tour from January 5-17, 2017.

Thomas Lloyd,  Director of the Choral and Vocal Studies Program for Haverford and Bryn Mawr Colleges and Professor of Music at Haverford, will lead the select group of college singers as they travel to Berlin and Potsdam, Germany, to study, sing, and socialize with members of two community choirs —  Begegnungschor (loosely translated as “Encounter Choir”), the  Chor International Potsdam, and the university chamber group  Kammerchor from the College of Music at the Freie and Technical Universities of Berlin (part of the ensemble program  Collegium Musicum of the Freie Universität and Technische Universität Berlin).

Begegnungschor pairs German volunteers with refugees from Syria, Eritrea, and other war- torn countries for weekly singing of folk songs from members’ countries of origin. The unique choir was founded in October 2015 as an initiative of the German nonprofit association Leadership Berlin (Network Responsibility) in cooperation with the Berlin Association of Choirs, Chorverband Berlin, and serves to send “a signal for a peaceful society that includes everyone regardless of origin.” Many of the choir’s German members also volunteer with refugee support organizations and enjoy working with the recent migrants as equals as they “regain strength and find relaxation; have fun, meet other people, and network” through singing. The group now serves as “a place where committed Berliners sing together with refugees according to the motto ‘Alone we are notes, together we are a song’ (Ya Beppo).”

The Internationalen Chor in historic Potsdam works in partnership with the Adult Education Centre Potsdam and shares Begegnungschor’s mission of joining Germans in singing with foreign nationals “to offer a musical home.” For this work, the choir received the Integration Prize of Potsdam in 2007 and recognition from the Diocesan Council of Catholics in the Archdiocese of Berlin in 2008.

Kammerchor, like the Bi-College Chamber Singers, is a 30-member group of singers selected by audition. The chamber group, one of many music and vocal ensembles at Berlin’s Freie and Technical Universities, performs classical works a capella. The group received top honors at the 44th International Choir Competition "Festa Musicale - Festival of Songs" in Olomouc / Olomouc (Czech Republic) in May 2016, under the leadership of its charismatic conductor, Donka Miteva.

The Chamber Singers will share rehearsals and perform music from both classical and folk repertoires with each of the three choirs during the trip. Lloyd has composed a new arrangement combining Gustav Mahler's "Wer hat dies Liedlein erdacht?" from Des Knabe Wunderhorn and Khalil al-Qabbar's “Ya tera tiri” for special presentation during the upcoming tour. The arrangement was developed in collaboration with violinist Hanna Khouri,  an instructor and doctoral student in Arabic music at the University of Pennsylvania, founder of Philadelphia's Al Bustan Seeds of Culture Takht Ensemble, and a world-renown violinist in both Arabic and European styles.  Watch the premier performance of "Vogelgesang" at Bryn Mawr.

The tour will be the last for the Bi-Co Chamber Singers under direction of Thomas Lloyd, who will retire from the college at the end of the 2016-2017 academic year. Lloyd notes, “Three of our current seniors, including Emily Drummond from Bryn Mawr, were part of our last cultural exchange tour to Mexico City as freshman, so it is particularly meaningful to come full circle with a tour that again explores the connections between singing and cultural movements involving refugees, this time on the other side of the world.”

Drummond, a Bryn Mawr College student who majors in Linguistics at Bryn Mawr and Music through the College’s partnership with Haverford, notes of the upcoming trip, “Music plays a huge role in cultural and national identity. So when we sing together with international choirs, it breaks down constructed barriers of ethnicity and nationality and we really begin to understand each other. It also sends this incredible message to audiences that every person can find common ground with another, regardless of language or tradition.”

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