HELP US TO MAKE NEW MUSIC! Support our RocketHub Campaign in Support of ECMC’s New Composer-in-Residence Program. Visit WWW.ROCKETHUB.COM/63623 to help us make our $2,000 goal by December 29, 2015!
KYLE RANDALL ECMC Composer-in-Residence 2015-16, 2015 American Prize Winner in Composition (Student Category)
The Empire City Men’s Chorus Composer-inResidence Program provides a developmental path for today’s most promising choral and instrumental composers. The Composer-in-Residence is chosen on a competitive basis and the recipient has a great platform with ECMC. They are offered a creative springboard to express their artistic and creative sensibilities that speaks to our times. This year, we are happy to have the esteemed Kyle Randall as our recipient and premiering his original works at each of our concerts.
Please donate to our current online campaign, Help US to Make New Music on RocketHub.com and keep the Composer-in-Residence Program going! We have a number of fun perks waiting in store for you with each giving level. Perks include: exclusive Mp3s, signed concert CDs & programs, private dinners and VIP services at our ECMC Fundraiser coming next Spring.
Dec 29th is the last day to make our $2,000 Goal! Spread the word on Facebook and Twitter. We thank you in advance!
W E C M’ C W H C V H H N T (Marshall’s Mother)
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A LETTER FROM THE ECMC BOARD Dear Friends, Welcome to the ECMC’s annual holiday concert! This year’s program is aptly named THRIVE to celebrate the energy and warmth that comes from a musical offering in winter. We are excited for you to join us for this annual choral tradition. 2015 was an eventful year for ECMC. We welcomed our wonderful new artistic director, Vince Peterson who has re-invigorated the group with his passion and superb programming. The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs informed us that we were awarded a new financial grant for for the second year in a row. We are ecstatic to have this institutional validation as an arts organization in NYC. We are excited to inform you of our new Composer-In-Residence (CIR) program and selected an amazingly talented composer, Kyle Randall for our first collaboration. Kyle has already delivered with the premiere of a new work, Shelter Song at our THIS OLD HOUSE concert this past Fall. He arranged tonight’s poignant setting of Lo, How A Rose E’re Blooming. It is wonderful to collaborate with a young new composer with a keen understanding of men’s choral music. We anticipate Kyle will create many wonderful works for us. The CIR program is a reflection of our commitment to performing new works by living composers. For more than 20 years, ECMC has made its mission to deliver eclectic musical programs that reflect contemporary social issues and inspire an intimate musical dialogue with our audiences. We cannot do this work without your continued support. Your generosity helps to fund a range of activities such as artist collaborations like the CIR program, scholarships for members, concert production costs, and outreach programs to bring our music into the community. ECMC is a 501(3)c non-profit arts organization and your financial contributions to ECMC are fully tax deductible. You can make a year-end donation by using the envelope enclosed in this program or any time on the Web at http://www.empirecitymenschorus.org. Thank you again for sharing this performance with us tonight. We look forward to seeing you at our concert in May 2016. The ECMC board wishes you our warmest wishes for a joyous holiday season and happiness in the new year! Sincerely, Scott Brown The Empire City Men’s Chorus Board of Directors: Scott Brown, President and Acting Co-Treasurer Anthony Pho, Vice-President and Acting Co-Treasurer James Stephen Longo, Secretary Edward Angelo Enrique, Director Rodrigo Ernesto Bolaños, Director Westley Todd Holiday, Director
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ABOUT EMPIRE CITY MEN’S CHORUS Founded in 1993, the Empire City Men’s Chorus celebrates its 23rd year of performances in New York City. ECMC was initially formed by members of the gay community who were interested in creating a male chorus featuring an eclectic multilingual repertoire of predominately classical music. For the past 23 years, the ECMC has consistently presented concerts that boast a wide variety of well-known composers and newly commissioned works with a classical sensibility. Prior to Vince Peterson’s appointment as Artistic Director in the fall of 2014, ECMC has been led under the esteemed batons of Matthew D. Oltman, Christopher Clowdus, Jonathan Babcock, and Donald Messer. Over a relatively short period of time, the ECMC has established an impressive musical history, having performed in some of New York’s most historic spaces. The ECMC has performed for the United Nations Secretary General’s Campaign UNiTE to End Violence Against Women, in Manhattan at Merkin Hall, Carnegie Hall (several times, with Mid-America Productions), Symphony Space, Greenwich House Music School, Saint Bartholomew’s Church, The Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Church of the Blessed Sacrament, and Church of St. Paul and St. Andrew. Our guest performers have included opera stars Stephanie Blythe and Margaret Lattimore, Tony Award winning Victoria Clark, and Tony Award - and Drama Desk - nominee Barbara Walsh. Highlights of our seasons include a gala 10th Anniversary concert featuring world premieres of works by 2004 Pulitzer Prize winner Paul Moravec and Adam Silverman, and a jointly produced concert with The Astoria Symphony which included performances of the Brahms’ Alto Rhapsody, and the performance of Arnold Schönberg’s A Survivor in Warsaw. The ECMC produces at least two major concerts per season. The group has received grants from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, and is a member of Chorus America and the New York City Choral Consortium. Our members meet seasonally on a weekly basis, and we frequently post upcoming auditions on our web site. We are a diverse group and open to anyone whose musical talents and spirit embellish the current strengths of our chorus members. Please contact us for more information. www.empirecitymenschorus.org
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GOTHAM PERFORMING ARTS, INC.
TENOR 1
TENOR 2
Ben Donahoo Michael Cheffo Bruce Bergquist Andrea Farina Nick DeFrancesco Ariel Estrada Craig Goodwin-Ortiz de Leon* Casey Koh Shawn-Lin Dzeng Daniel Greller Steve Ostrow* Edward Angelo Enrique* Eric Faris* Jack Kirk Phil Oh
BARITONE
BASS
Anthony Pho* Daniel Fiore* Eric Pulsipher Mark Heflin Michael Fairbairn Neil Fleming Rodrigo Bolaños Ronald Languedoc Scott Brown Tai Beckles Westley Todd Holiday
David Baxter Bill Powell* Clay Morris* Daniel Weinberg Keith Odums James S. Longo Marshall Taylor
*Member of Otto This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. ECMC performance venues are ADA-compliant and wheelchair accessible spaces.
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A NOTE FROM THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Dear Friends, The dictionary defines the word thrive in the following way: “(Of a child, animal, or plant) grow or develop well or vigorously; to prosper or flourish. Not more than two years ago, I visited the rehearsals of ECMC periodically in Matt Oltman’s stead when he asked me to fill in for him. At the time, I had no idea that I would soon be at the helm of this ensemble. It all happened very quickly and I think many of us in the organization weren’t sure how it would go. Today, I’m reminded of the words of my beloved teacher, Conrad Susa, which he said to me once during a composition lesson: “I have to be careful what I say to you.” Me: “Why?” Him: “Because you listen!” Any leader must also be a lifelong learner. Any ship captain is no good without a crew that he learns from as they follow him. In the last year, I have been a witness to something extraordinary: a group of men in New York City who are not only devoted to each other on a weekly basis, but also deeply to music. Whatever I have said or done to help build or re-build the ECMC house would not have mattered at all without this will and drive. It is not my words and actions that have made ECMC thrive, but those of ECMC itself. Choral music is the most human collaborative musical art because the human voice (and all that comes with it) is used in tandem with other human voices to make something - a sound, a feeling, a word - so specifically vivid that nothing else in the world can compare to it. The writer Don Miguel Ruiz urges people to be “impeccable with our word” in his book, The Four Agreements. Words alone can do many things, even induce action in people; but words in a house made of music THRIVE. I thrive in the ECMC house and it’s my honor and privilege to stay here and live in it for awhile with these wonderful singers. All of us at ECMC wish you a very happy holiday and the best of all to come in the new year. Thanks for joining us this evening! Warmly, Vince Peterson Artistic Director Empire City Men’s Chorus
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THRIVE
AN ECMC HOLIDAY CELEBRATION Vince Peterson, Artistic Director | Sean Forte, Assistant Director and Accompanist SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2015, 8:00 P.M. – ST. PAUL’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH, BROOKLYN SUNDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2015, 5:00 P.M. – CHURCH OF THE HOLY APOSTLES, MANHATTAN
CONCERT PROGRAM Choose Something Like a Star Music by Randall Thompson | Words by Robert Frost | Arranged by Stephen Smith
Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day Music by John Gardiner | Arranged by Kyle Randall
Ding! Dong! Merrily on High Traditional French Carol Tune by Thoinot Arbeau (1520-1595) | Arranged by Howard Helvey
O Regem coeli – Natus est nobis Music by Tomas Luis de Victoria (1548-1611) Performed by Otto
Canite tuba Music by Jacob Handl (1550-1591)
Lo, How A Rose E’er Blooming
for vince peterson and empire city men’s chorus
Music by Michael Praetorius (1571-1621) Translated from German by Theodore Baker | Arranged by Kyle Randall
Oh, Brillante Estrella Adapted from traditional Puerto Rican villancico Music and Translation by David Frank Long (b. 1966) Program continues on next page following.
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Gloria Music by William Mathias (1934-1992)
Wexford Carol Arranged by Dean X. Johnson (1955-1998) Performed by Otto
All is Well Music by Michael W. Smith and Wayne Kilpatrick Soloist: Jack Kirk | Descant: Ben Donahoo, Craig Goodwin-Ortiz de Leon
Ave Maria Music by Franz Biebl (1906-2001) Featuring: Daniel Fiore, Craig Goodwin-Ortiz de Leon, Steve Ostrow, Edward Angelo Enrique, Eric Faris, and Anthony Pho
Christmas Comes Anew Music by Mark Riese (1953-1989)
SING-A-LONG WITH ECMC God Rest You Merry Gentlemen The First Noel White Christmas Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas Music and lyrics by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane | Arranged by Larry Moore
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TRANSLATIONS & NOTES Choose Something Like a Star Music by Randall Thompson | Words by Robert Frost | Arranged by Stephen Smith O Star, (the fairest one in sight), We grant your loftiness the right To some obscurity of cloud It will not do to say of night, Since dark is what brings out your light. Some mystery becomes the proud. But to be wholly taciturn In your reserve is not allowed. Say something to us we can learn By heart and when alone repeat. Say something! And it says “I burn.” But say with what degree of heat. Talk Fahrenheit, talk Centigrade. Use language we can comprehend. Tell us what elements you blend. It gives us strangely little aid, But does tell something in the end. And steadfast as Keats’ Eremite, Not even stooping from its sphere, It asks a little of us here. It asks of us a certain height, So when at times the mob is sway’d To carry praise or blame too far, We may choose something like a star To stay our minds on and be staid.
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O Regem Coeli – Natus Est Nobis (O King of Heaven, Today is Born a Savior) Music by Tomas Luis de Victoria (1548-1611) O Regem coeli, cui talia famulantur, obsequia, Stabulo proponitur, qui continet mundum, Jacet in praesepio, et in coelis regnat. Alleluja. Natus est nobis hodie Salvator qui est Christus Dominus, in civitate David, Jacet in prasepio, et in coelis regnat. Alleluia
O King of heaven, served with such obedience, He is laid in the stable, who holds the world, He lies in the manger and reigns in heaven. Alleluia. Today is born a Savior. Who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David, He lies in the manger and reigns in heaven. Alleluia.
Canite Tuba (Blow The Trumpet) Music by Jacob Handl (1550-1591) Canite tuba in Sion, vocate gentes, annuntiate populis et dicite: Ecce, Deus, salvator noster adveniet; Annuntiate et auditum facite loquimini et clamate: Ecce, Deus, salvator noster adveniet.
Blow the trumpet in Sion, address the nations, declare to the people and say: Behold, God our Savior draws nigh. Declare, make heard by speaking and shout: Behold, God our Savior draws nigh.
Lo, How A Rose E’er Blooming Music by Michael Praetorius (1571-1621) | Translated from German by Theodore Baker Arranged for Vince Peterson and Empire City Men’s Chorus by ECMC Composer-in-Residence Kyle Randall Lo, how a Rose e’er blooming From tender stem hath sprung! Of Jesse’s lineage coming As men of old have sung. It came, a flower bright, Amid the cold of winter When half-gone was the night. Isaiah ‘twas foretold it, The Rose I have in mind: With Mary we behold it, The virgin mother kind. To show God’s love aright
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She bore to men a Savior When half-gone was the night. This Flower, whose fragrance tender With sweetness fills the air, Dispels with glorious splendor The darkness everywhere. True man, yet very God, From sin and death He saves us And lightens every load Composer’s Note: Lo, How A Rose E’er Blooming has long held our imaginations around Christmas-time with its remarkable combination of purity, grace, and solemnity. The original melody, with Praetorius’s 1609 harmonization, carries with it a timeless quality that easily evokes the cold stillness of a snowy Christmas Eve. This arrangement of the carol takes a new approach to that same idea, aiming to preserve the raw beauty and power of the original even as it opens it up to a new palette of color and sound. It extends the traditional harmony into a blanket of complex chords that shift and shimmer like the snow on a solemn night, with musical lines that push and pull against one another, and throughout, a quiet sense of wonder. All of this is carefully crafted to evoke—in a new and different way—that same image of a cold and still, but remarkable, evening: one that is filled with inner light. – Kyle Randall Oh, Brillante Estrella! Adapted from traditional Puerto Rican villancico Rum pa da rum pum pa da rum pum pum! We’ve come from afar to see the child and praise Him. We followed a star, high in the Eastern heavens. Frankincense and myrrh are humble gifts we bring. A gift of fine gold to crown the King of Kings! Chorus Oh, brillante estrella que anuncias la aurora, no me falte nunca tu luz bien hechora. (Translation is then sung directly after) Bright, shining star! You lead the dawn this new day. May your light forever guide us in a true way! Tho’ lowly was His birth in Bethlehem, The kings from the East bowed before Him. And with joy they greeted Jesus, For He was the Son of God!
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Glory in the Highest and on the Earth be peace! These tidings we bring that our love may increase! Chorus Christmas Comes Anew (Noël Nouvelet) Music by Mark Riese (1953-1989)
Sing we Noel. Christmas comes anew, Noel, Noel we sing. As we humbly honor Christ the newborn king. Sing we Noel, for Christ the newborn king, Noel. Noël nouvelet, Noël chantons ici. Devotes gens, rendons à Dieu merci. Chantons Noël pour le Roi nouvelet. Noël nouvelet, Noël chantons, Noël
Translation of French : Christmas comes anew, O let us sing Noel! Glory to God, now let your praises swell. Sing we Noel for Christ, the newborn King. Christmas comes anew, O let us sing Noel SING-A-LONG WITH ECMC God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen 1. God rest ye merry, gentlemen Let nothing you dismay Remember, Christ, our Saviour Was born on Christmas day To save us all from Satan’s power When we were gone astray O tidings of comfort and joy, Comfort and joy O tidings of comfort and joy 2. Choir Only. 3. Now to the Lord sing praises, All you within this place, And with true love and brotherhood
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Each other now embrace; The holy tide of Christmas Is drawing on a pace. O tidings of comfort and joy, Comfort and joy O tidings of comfort and joy
The First Noel 1. The First Noel, the Angels did say Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay In fields where they lay keeping their sheep On a cold winter’s night that was so deep. Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel Born is the King of Israel! 2. They looked up and saw a star Shining in the East beyond them far And to the earth it gave great light And so it continued both day and night. Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel Born is the King of Israel! White Christmas The sun is shining, the grass is green. The orange and palm trees sway. There’s never been such a day in Beverly Hills, L.A. But it’s December the 24th, and I am longinhg to be up north. I’m dreaming of a white Christmas Just like the ones I used to know Where the treetops glisten, and children listen To hear sleigh bells in the snow I’m dreaming of a white Christmas With every Christmas card I write May your days be merry and bright And may all your Christmases be white
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VINCE PETERSON, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Vince Peterson is the Artistic Director of Empire City Men’s Chorus, and an award-winning conductor, composer, arranger, and keyboardist. He is the Founder of the celebrated shape-shifting vocal ensemble, Choral Chameleon. His work has been commissioned and performed by reputable ensembles internationally, most notably the multi-Grammy® Award-winning ensemble, Chanticleer. Distinguished performance venues include Chicago Symphony Hall, San Francisco’s War Memorial Opera House, Bartok National Concert Hall in Budapest, New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Carnegie Hall, among others. Peterson is a tireless champion of living composers and an avid proponent of new choral and theater music. He is responsible for commissioning and premiering over 100 new works to date. Under his leadership, Choral Chameleon won the 2015 ASCAP Chorus America Award for Adventurous Programming. This year, he will lead men from both ECMC and Choral Chameleon in the first-ever allmale version of his pivotal choral institute for composers and conductors (founded six years ago). He holds a BMus in Composition from San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he was a pupil of Conrad Susa. He also holds a double MM in Composition and Choral Conducting from Mannes College, The New School for Music in Manhattan, where he studied with new music pioneer conductor, Mark Shapiro. T he New York Times called Peterson “authoritative beyond his… years,” and The Brooklyn Eagle praised his work as “a stunning symphony of the spiritual and secular,” while hailing him as a solo performer “with depth and vigor” who “provided a universal context which resonated with his audience.” In addition to his work with ECMC and Chameleon, he currently serves as Choirmaster and Organist at St. Paul’s Carroll Street in Brooklyn and as Music Director of Regis High School. www.vincepeterson.com
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SEAN FORTE
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR AND ACCOMPANIST Sean Forte has been a pianist since he started taking lessons at 10 years old. He then continued at the University of the Pacific’s Conservatory of Music where he studied with Frank Wiens, Dr. Rex Cooper, and Dr. Sonia Leung. He also extensively studied conducting, voice, diction, and acting through song while at college. He graduated in 2010 with his Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance magna cum laude. After living in San Francisco for 3 years teaching, musical directing shows, and performing, he packed up his life and moved across the country to New York City to pursue a career in musical direction for musical theater. He’s been in the city for two years and is thankful for the opportunities that New York has offered him, including working with the Empire City Men’s Chorus. Credits include: Broadway: A Gentlemen’s Guide to Love and Murder (Rehearsal pianist). Royal Caribbean Productions (Pianist/Conductor for Cats). Regional: La Cage aux Folles, Seussical, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Cinderella, Sweeney Todd, Rent, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Nine.
KYLE RANDALL
COMPOSER-IN-RESIDENCE Kyle Randall is a composer whose work has been performed across the country and internationally, from such renowned venues as Carnegie Hall to La Schola Cantorum in Paris, and he has worked with prominent groups and conductors around the country. Kyle has also been awarded the Francis Boott Prize for choral composition from Harvard, and was recently awarded the prestigious American Prize in Composition (Student Composer) for the Kyrie of his recent New Gothic Mass. He received degrees in music from Harvard University (BA) and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (MM), and has studied composition with David Garner, Lennie Moore, David Conte, Austin Wintory, Phillip Lasser, and Chaya Czernowin. He is currently composer-in-residence with the Empire City Men’s Chorus for FY2016 , and will complete three new pieces for them over the course of this year. www.kylerandall.com
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SPECIAL THANKS ECMC would like to acknowledge those on whom we depend for necessary services, volunteer efforts, and moral support when things get tough—you all have our utmost gratitude. PERFORMANCE VENUES AND THEIR STAFF Michael Ottley and his staff – Church of the Holy Apostles, Chelsea The Reverend Peter M. Cullen and Drew Helstosky – St. Paul’s Carroll Street, Carroll Gardens ECMC COMMITTEES Concert Development Digital Media & Marketing Finance Grants Membership Library
Bill Powell (Chair); Daniel Weinberg; Daniel Greller; Jack Kirk; Eric Faris. Special thanks to Justin Lockwood and Craig Sloan Westley Todd Holiday (Chair); Tai Beckles; Michael Fairbairn; Neil Fleming; Ronald Languedoc; Phil Oh Edward Angelo Enrique (Chair); Ariel Estrada; Marshall Taylor; Daniel Fiore; Andrea Farina; Daniel Greller Scott Brown (Chair), Craig Goodwin-Ortiz de Leon (Accountant) Bruce Bergquist, Ben Donahoo, Daniel Fiore, Neil Fleming, Daniel Weinberg Daniel Fiore (Chair); Anthony Pho Rodrigo Bolanos (Chair); Clay Morris; Steve Ostrow; Tai Beckles Jim Longo
GRAPHIC DESIGN Original design by Marc Bovino; digital and production design by Ariel Estrada CATERING Thank you to Alexander Weimer, Sammy and Sojourn Restaurant for their generous donation of wine. SPECIAL THANKS Thanks to David & Steven Gatewood-Cowart for their help with Pride pier dance and videography for This Old House. CONCERT VOLUNTEERS Special thanks to Justin Lockwood, our loyal and trusty stage manager, and our wonderful concert volunteers who help bring our concerts to life.
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WE THANK ALL OF THE DONORS LISTED BELOW FOR THEIR GENEROUS SUPPORT OF EMPIRE CITY MEN’S CHORUS Donor list from January 1, 2015 VISIONARY ($3,000+) The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs
H BENEFACTOR ($500 - $999) Ki Han, James Stephen Longo, Clay Morris, Sojourn Restaurant
H PATRONS ($200 - $499) Scott Michael Brown, Elizabeth Dimmitt, Ariel Estrada, Neil Fleming, Steven Ostrow
H SUPPORTER ($100 - $199) Anonymous, Anonymous, Colin Hosten, Brian Kovacs, Paul Marsolini, Nancy Schraufnagel, Betty Stiner, Marshall Taylor, Daniel Weinberg, Jonathan Wind
H FRIEND ($50 - $99) Andrea Farina, Ronald Languedoc
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DON’T LET THE MUSIC STOP For twenty-three years, the Empire City Men’s Chorus (Gotham Performing Arts) has offered cultural inspiration through music to our members, audiences, and the greater New York LGBTQ community. The Empire City Men’s Chorus (ECMC) continues to donate our services to a variety of organizations including AIDS research, gay youth programs, community groups, and civil rights causes. By making a tax-deductible contribution to us, you can lower your tax bill while simultaneously providing vital funds that help us to sustain our positive influence in New York. This year, ECMC is proud to offer our newest venture: the Composer-in-Residence Program. We are grateful that we can count on your generosity. It is important as we journey into new ventures, that we have your support. ECMC needs you and wants to remain your champions for good. Please see examples of our direct-expenses and how your donor-level gift will help to cover them: Friend Supporter Patron Benefactor Sponsor Visionary Commissioner
$50 - $99 Cuts the cost of office supplies and audition space $100 - $199 Pays for licensing of sheet music for a single piece $200 - $499 Provides rehearsal space for one week $500 - $999 Underwrites production costs for a concert CD $1000 - $2999 Finances the publicity for a concert season $3000+ Defrays the cost of a concert performance space rental Supports the commissioning of a new world premiere piece. (Please contact us regarding specific dollar amounts.)
Name
Street Address
City State Zip
Total enclosed is $ MAKE YOUR CHECK OR MONEY ORDER PAYABLE TO GOTHAM PERFORMING ARTS, INC.
My company offers a Matching Grant Program: q Yes
q No
Indicate name and address giving statements should be forwarded to:
Company Name
Address please mail your check or money order to: EMPIRE CITY MEN’S CHORUS • PO BOX 1017 • NEW YORK, NY 10185 or for regular online donations, please visit our website at WWW.EMPIRECITYMENSCHORUS.ORG
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