At
4:00 on Sunday, April 27th, the Ann Arbor
Grail Singers will present "Contemplating God: Images in the
Liturgy" at
St.
Thomas the Apostle Church in Ann Arbor. Directed by Deborah Friauff,
the program includes pieces by Ockeghem, Palestrina, Charpentier,
Cozzolani, and Ippolotov-Ivanov, as well as medieval chant. The
program will be repeated at 8:00 on Sunday, May 4th, at St. Thomas
Aquinas Church in
East Lansing.
A
feature of the Michigan musical scene since 1995, the Ann Arbor
Grail Singers are a 16-voice women's choir founded by Lynn Malley.
They have performed in the Detroit Institute of Arts Brunch with
Bach Series, at the Toledo Art Museum, and at the University of
Michigan Museum of Art. The choir has been lauded for the beauty of
their sound, and "their musicality, precision, balance, and
intonation" (Current Magazine).
Baroque violinists Keith Graves (known to Michigan audiences from
Ars Musica) and Nick Field, cellist Debra Lonergan, and organist
Timothy Tikker accompany the choir for this concert.
About the Program
"Contemplating God: Images in the Liturgy" presents sacred music
from medieval chant through modern works such as William Mattias’
striking setting of the 23rd Psalm. The keystone of the
program is the rarely-performed Missa Sine Nomine of Johannes
Ockeghem. One of the most respected and influential composers of the
early Renaissance, Ockeghem was premier chaplain to three kings of
France.
The opening “Call to Worship” is the 8-part Cantate Domino by
Sulpitia Cesis, a composer and lutenist at the convent of San
Agostino in Modena. Then, to illustrate the liturgical images, the
movements of the Ockeghem Mass are each preceded by a chant and
followed by a Renaissance, Baroque, or modern motet.
The concert concludes with the dramatic Beatus vir by the
Benedictine nun Chiara Margarita Cozzolani. Cozzolani was abbess of
the convent of Santa Radegonda, one of the most celebrated ensembles
of women musicians in 17th century Italy; Beatus vir
is part of a collection of Vespers psalms combining solos, duets,
and tutti sections.
About the Director
Deborah Friauff received her Doctor of Musical Arts from the
University of Michigan. She has studied Gregorian Chant at St.
John’s University in Minnesota, St. Meinrad Archabbey in Indiana,
and Grand Séminaire de Montréal, Québec. She was awarded the
“Premier Prix d’Orgue, Médaille d’Or” by the Conservatoire National
de Région, Rueil-Malmaison, France.
Dr. Friauff is Director of Music/Organist at St. Andrew’s Episcopal
Church in Ann Arbor. Previously, she was Minister of Music at All
Saints Episcopal Church in
East Lansing.
In addition to directing choirs at these churches, she directed
Sine Nomine, a semi-professional early music vocal ensemble that
performed mass settings, motets and chants.
About the Grail Singers
The Ann Arbor Grail Singers were founded and directed until her
death by Lynn Malley, a choral conductor for over thirty years, who
led workshops in chant and sacred music both in the U.S. and abroad.
The Grail Singers are now directed by Deborah Friauff and assistant
director Carolyn Dicks.
The Grail Singers have released three CDs, two with Ave Maria Press;
they are now available from The Grail (www.grailville.org)
or directly from the choir. "Sounds of the Spirit" was praised for
the choir's ability to "communicate intensity and deeply-felt
emotion while maintaining the flowing lines of chant and early
polyphony" (Clarence R. J. Rivers, PhD.; President, Stimuli, Inc.).
"The Hidden Spirit" is a collection of polyphony by six early women
composers, including two pieces by Barbara Strozzi. “Magnificat”
features two rarely performed early settings of the Magnificat
by Cozzolani and Porpora.
Mark Your Calendars
The first Ann Arbor Grail Singers concert will take place at 4:00
p.m. on Sunday, April 27th, at
St. Thomas
the Apostle Catholic Church,
530 Elizabeth Street,
Ann Arbor. The concert will be repeated at 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, May
4th, at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, 955 Alton Road, East
Lansing (see
www.stachurch.net/directionstochurch.html for directions).
Open seating tickets, available at the door from 3:30, are $15
general admission, $12 seniors and Academy of Early Music members,
$5 students. For more information, call 663-0518 x205.
Ruth Cunningham
and Norma Gentile present a duet performance to include medieval
chants of Hildegard von Bingen, sacred songs from eastern
traditions, and improvisatory healing chants. Medieval harp, Tibetan
Singing Bowls, and Indian Schruti Box will accompany them. Ruth is
best known to audiences as a founding member and soprano with
Anonymous 4. Norma is well known as a leading specialist in the
chants of Hildegard, and a pioneer in the field of sound shamanism.
Both women are classically trained sopranos with a wealth of
experience in sound and subtle energy healing. The evening promises
to be one of unique quality, capturing the true spirit of healing
through music.
Kerrytown Concert House, 415 N. Fourth Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48104.
Saturday, May 31 at 8pm in Ann Arbor, MI Albums by both
artists will be available for purchase at the concert.
TICKETS:
Reserve your
tickets now online or by calling 734-769-2999. Space is limited to
100 people.
$25 assigned rows
1-2
$15 assigned rows
3-5
$10 general
admission and $5 student
See this
page for more information: www.kerrytownconcerthose.com