October 11, 2005 – Sylvia Bierschenk

University choir invited to Europe

NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS - In 2006, musicians from around the globe will host local festivals and present concerts commemorating the 250th anniversary of the birth of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The ultimate celebrations, however, will occur in Salzburg and Vienna, Austria, where Mozart was born, worked and died.

There, the world's premiere musicians will perform Mozart's works in some of the very same concert venues where they were first heard. Stephen F. Austin State University's A Cappella Choir will be among those chosen performers.

The Salzburg Choral Society has issued an invitation to the choir and its director, Dr. Tim King, to participate in the Salzburg and Vienna celebrations.

"This is literally an unbelievable opportunity for Nacogdoches, SFA, and most importantly, our students," said King.

The invitation came as a result of the choir's 2003 European tour during which the group participated in the city of Vienna's 1,000-year celebration.

"We were very well received," King said. "In fact, it was the first time a choir of mine had ever received a standing ovation as the students re-entered the performance area after intermission."

"Encore after encore was requested, and our singing was echoed with thunderous applause and shouts of 'Bravo!' The quality of our performances and the professional conduct of our students set in motion possibilities of the 2006 tour," King continued.

The director theorizes that one of the reasons the A Cappella Choir made such an impact is that the entire choir traveled to Europe. "Many times university choirs travel only with those students who can pay their own way, so the group merely represents the original choir."

In 2003 the choir raised enough funds to take all 50 members, and that is the goal of the 2006 as well.

"The SFA 'group' is going, not individuals," King emphasized.

And this year, King is adding a 33-piece student orchestra so that they can collectively perform the choral works as they were meant to be performed.

King estimates the cost per student will be $2,500.

"It's a monumental undertaking," said Dr. Richard Berry, dean of the SFA College of Fine Arts. "But one of the most important opportunities we can offer our students in this age of globalization is the chance to engage in international experiences directly related to their field of study. Participating in the Mozart celebration offers just that."

King said the group will be performing in some of Europe's most prestigious concert venues.

Frances Teal, Nacogdoches senior who participated in the 2003 tour, said that as the choir "sang at some of the mot beautiful churches and cathedrals throughout Europe, it was as if the essence of [the great composers'] music touched our hearts and manifested into beautiful singing."

The students are devoting most of the academic year preparing for the tour. The spring concerts, in particular, will offer the audiences a preview of the works the choir will be performing in Europe.

By the time the group leaves on Friday, May 19, it will have three different concert programs ready. One will be a traditional program with a variety of choral works from all periods. It will be performed at the Church of St. Martin in the Fields in London and again in Hallstadt, Germany.

The second program will be Mozart's "Spatzenmesse Mass" which will be performed during services at the Salzburg Cathedral and the Klosterneuberg Abbey. At the cathedral, also known as the Dom Church, the archbishop will celebrate the mass.

The third program will be Mozart's "Mass in C minor," which King calls one of the composer's most monumental works. It will be performed at churches in Berndorf and Goldegg, Austria, both of which are well known for their concert series. East Texans will have an opportunity to hear the mass at the choir's May 9 concert in W.M. Turner Auditorium.

Proceeds from each of this year's A Cappella Choir and Madrigal Singers concerts will go towards the European tour. Upcoming performances include "Stars and Stripes Forever: a Patriotic Revue" at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 16; Madrigal Singers concert at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20; Christmas Madrigal Dinners at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2, and Saturday, Dec. 3; and "A Europe Preview" at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 9.

The choir is also accepting tax-deductible donations from individuals and businesses to help fund the tour.

For more information on the European tour, visit www.music.sfasu/ensembles/choirtour.html. For tickets or more information on any upcoming performance, call (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS.