Please join us for the final concert of our 2011-2012 season this Sunday, May 20, 2012 at 2:00 p.m.
William Byrd (1540-1623): Haec Dies Henry Purcell (1659-1695): Rejoice in the Lord Alway J.S. Bach: Cantata #75, Die Elenden sollen essen J.C. Altnickol (1720-1759): Motet, Nun Danket Alle Gott
By popular demand, the audience chorale is provided for advance viewing here!
All Bach Cantata Choir concerts are held at the Rose City Park Presbyterian Church located at 1907 NE 45th Avenue in Portland, Oregon (map). The May 20th concert is free (free-will offering accepted).
Our February BachBeat newsletter is now available online and, if we have your address, should be appearing in your mailboxes at home soon. As a reminder, all newsletters are all available on our website here.
It is with great sadness that we report the passing of long-time Bach Cantata Choir member, soprano Elinor Friedberg. At our concert on May 22, the choir performed Elinor's adaption of “O Magnum Mysterium," an eight-part choral arrangement of the "Nimrod" section from Edward Elgar's "Enigma Variations."
The final concert of the 2010-11 season will be on Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 2:00 p.m. at the Rose City Park Presbyterian Church located at 1907 NE 45th Avenue in Portland, Oregon (map). The free concert (free-will offerings accepted) will feature the following works:
Jan Dismas Zelenka (1679-1745): "Litaniae de Venerabili Sacramento" J.S. Bach: Cantata #42: "Am Abend aber desselbigen Sabbats" J.S. Bach: Motet #4: "Fürchte dich nicht"
If you have a few minutes, read James Bash's preview and interview of Ralph Nelson over at Oregon Music News.
With apologies, our October Newsletter was ready to go before last month's concert, but was not mailed until last week. Hopefully you are seeing it in your mailboxes at home now.
As a reminder, our current and past newsletters are all available on our website here.
The Bach Cantata Choir will be holding its annual Silent Auction Fundraiser in conjuction with its first concert of the 2010-2011 season on Sunday, October 24, 2010 at 2 pm. Doors will open early for browsing and bidding.
The BCC is a non-profit organization that relies on the generosity of the community to fund our operations. Items such as gift certificates for goods or services are always popular, not to mention tickets to local concerts and events. Do you have something that you can donate? All funds raised at the auction are used to cover operational expenses such as use of the church, orchestra fees and printing costs.
The BCC is is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. As such, the value of your donation is tax-deductible to the extent provided by law and regulation. We will gladly provide you with a receipt including our Tax ID Number (TIN) for your donation.
Please use our online form to submit your donation information. Contact Kristin Sterling if you have questions.
The 2010-2011 concert schedule is now available online. We look forward to seeing you at our first concert on Sunday, October 24, 2010 at 2:00 p.m., featuring works from Heinrich Schütz, Christoph Graupner (and, of course, J.S. Bach!) and followed by our annual silent auction fundraiser--more details on the auction coming soon!
Being a musician can sometimes be a frustrating thing.I often feel that if I’d put half as much of the effort I’ve put into music into anything else, I’d probably be making a great living at it. Still here I am, another amateur musician struggling through a 40-hour work week, and then finding the time afterward to reap a little artistic fulfillment with the various musical and music-related activities that fill my spare time.
There are some times though, when the reason that I (like so many others) put so much effort into music becomes abundantly clear to me.A couple of examples in recent weeks come to mind, both of them involving the Bach Cantata Choir.
A few weeks ago, in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake in Haiti, I had the privilege of singing with about eight or nine members of the BCC (along with a whole slew of other great singers from various choirs around town). Along with the great musicians from Classical Revolution Portland and others, we were able to help raise over $4000 for Partners in Health for immediate use in aiding the survivors in that disaster zone. I know that All Classical Radio gave us free publicity, and rumor has it that OPB opened up their e-mail list to CRPDX as well. Sure, even $4000 is only a drop in the bucket in comparison to the magnitude of the need there, but still—all of this was done by artists, musicians, and the organizations that support them.I felt a welling of pride as we sang the ‘Lacrimosa’ from Mozart’s Requiem by way of honoring those who perished, and a surge of hope as we did an improvised rendition of The Beatles ‘With a Little Help from My Friends.’This last was for the survivors but also for us, to help combat the despair we feel at the plight of our fellow travelers.It served as a reminder to me of the power of music—not just the abstract power to heal the heart and uplift the human spirit, but a real, nuts-and-bolts power, the ability that music has to be a driving force for good.
Another thing that stands out in my mind is more related to an artistic rather than humanistic level, and that was singing the U.S. premiere of Johann Schelle’s ‘Lobe den Herr, Meine Seele.’This amazing, middle-baroque masterwork that had never seen the light of day in America was an absolute blast to sing.With the resplendent brass choir, the massed strings and the mighty sound of two choruses, it was a rousing finish to a great concert, and I was justly proud of our whole group and my small part in it as the full house suddenly and spontaneously rose to its feet.I was thrilled to be part of such a group, one able to do something of so much worth and artistic value.Sometimes it’s great to be a musician.
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