Festival Choir Announces Auditions For Next Season

Published: August 21, 2003

ATLANTA—The Festival Choir of the Archdiocese of Atlanta, which made its debut in May, is making plans for its next set of concerts in March 2004 and invites all interested musicians to participate.

The ensemble, made up of 90 singers representing over 30 parishes throughout the North Georgia archdiocese, presented Robert Twynham's "Magnificat" to considerable success and acclaim at its debut.

Auditions will be held at the Cathedral of Christ the King on Saturday, Sept. 6 and Sept. 13. All music ministers in the archdiocese are encouraged to call (404) 233-2145, ext. 470, for an appointment.

The choir, a long-held dream of many Catholic musicians in the area, was formed with the express intent of uniting singers from parishes all over the archdiocese. Open auditions were held in January and dozens of singers came forward to lend their voices to the project.

"The whole experience was such a happy one," said singer Pam Bousquet from Good Shepherd Church, Cumming. "From the very start of rehearsals it was clear that this process would be fun and exciting."

Wayne Baughman, director of music at St. Benedict Church, Duluth, said, "Our highest hope was that each singer's love of music would be enriched and their faith deepened by the experience. And, by everyone's estimation, participants and audience members alike, last year's performances of the 'Magnificat' did just that."

In an effort to build on this promise and success the choir's next concert will feature a broad mix of sacred musical styles and periods.

"It is one of our intentions to not only pull together the widely dispersed musicians of the archdiocese, but also to celebrate the wonderful history and traditions of Catholic music throughout the ages," said Kevin Culver, a member of the choir. "In last year's presentation we explored a single intense piece of music by one of America's most significant Catholic composers. This year we will present a program of sacred music spanning nine centuries, at least four different musical styles and six different countries." Culver, a member of the steering committee, said this varied approach promises to add a richness of experience to those participating.

"It is a rare opportunity for music ministers to get together outside the context of a liturgy to study and explore music which has shaped the faith and practice of the church for centuries. In our own ministries we are often constrained by time and occasion, but with this choir we are better able to take a longer, deeper look at different composers, different styles and unusual settings."

The program will feature Ralph Vaughan Williams' "Mass in G minor." In this piece the noted 20th century English composer paid homage to sacred music of the 15th and 16th centuries.

"This piece, while written in 1922, is an echo of an earlier age in sacred choral music," said Kevin Faulkner, director of music at Mary Our Queen Church, Norcross. "The beautiful sinuous lines recall the polyphony of Byrd and Palestrina, but at the same time there is no denying the exciting and dynamic vocal orchestrations of Vaughan Williams' own musical language."

Also on the program will be the rarely heard "Litany of the Blessed Virgin" by the 17th century composer Claudio Monteverdi, several dynamic motets by the 19th century Austrian composer Anton Bruckner and several chant pieces, some dating back as many as 900 years.

Linda Morgan, director of music at St. Andrew Church in Roswell, expressed the belief that "all of this music, coming from various periods, cultures and styles has a great deal to say to us about what Catholic music has been through the centuries. But it also has a lot to say to us about who we can be as ministers of music in the 21st century. The legacy of music in the church is rich and varied and the future of music in the church needs to be just as rich."

Rehearsals will be held one Saturday a month starting in October, with performances taking place on March 20 and 21, 2004.

Those interested in participating need to schedule a simple audition on either Saturday. The format for each audition will be to sing a verse of "Amazing Grace," some scales and vocalizations to determine voice part, and to sight-read a few measures of music.