New Classic Singers - New Classic Radio Hour by Footlights.com

Lee R. Kesselman, Music Director William Buhr, Accompanist 30th Concert Season 2011-2012 9/11: Ten Years & Beyond Sunday, Sep. 11, 3 pm at Harris Theater for Music & Dance, Chicago Psalms & Spirituals Saturday, Nov. 5, 8 pm at St. Petronille Church, Glen Ellyn Sunday, Nov. 13, 3 pm at St Francis Xavier Catholic Church, La Grange World Carol Sunday, Dec. 11, 4 pm, McAninch Arts Center, Glen Ellyn KADOSH: A(nother) Celebration of Jewish Music Saturday, March 3, 8 pm at Christ the King Catholic Church, Lombard The New Classics Radio Hour Saturday, May 5, 8 pm McAninch Arts Center, Glen Ellyn New Classic Singers 425 Bonnie Brae Rd. Hinsdale, IL 60521 www.newclassicsingers.org 630.654.9717 Ticket office for McAninch Arts Center concerts: (630) 942-4000 www.AtTheMac.org New Classic Singers celebrates its 30th season in residence at College of DuPage. Members include conductors, educators, and soloists from throughout the Chicago metropolitan area. The Singers have been praised for their imaginative programs and performing excellence. New Classic Singers has performed three times for conventions of the American Choral Directors Association and frequently commissions and performs new works. NCS has performed with the Kronos Quartet, Fulcrum Point New Music Ensemble & Nexus Percussion Ensemble and has recorded new issues for Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers.

NEW CLASSIC RADIO HOUR 1

M U S I C D I R E C TO R B I O G R A P H Y Founder and Music Director Lee R. Kesselman has been Director of Choral Activities at College of DuPage since 1981. Conductor, pianist, teacher and award-winning composer, in New Classic Singers he has created an ensemble from his love for the vocal art and interest in a wide variety of literature. A member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers and recipient of 18 consecutive ASCAP awards. Mr. Kesselman’s compositions have been published by Boosey & Hawkes, Roger Dean Music Co., Colla Voce and Kesselman Press. He co-founded the Choral Music Experience Institute for Choral Teacher Education with Doreen Rao and has served on its faculty since 1986. He is in frequent demand as a guest conductor, lecturer and clinician and as a composer-in-residence throughout the United States and abroad. Kesselman is well-known as a composer of vocal works, including opera, music for chorus, and solo songs. Large works include the operas THE BREMEN TOWN MUSICIANS and THE EMPEROR’S NEW CLOTHES, LOVE PHASES for baritone voice and piano, NIGHTS IN ARMOR for mixed chorus, SHONA MASS for voices and African percussion, and INFINITY IN THE PALM OF YOUR HAND, a symphony for treble chorus and orchestra. His works for children’s choirs have brought him national attention and he has been commissioned to write for children’s choirs, middle school, junior school, high school, college, community, church, and professional ensembles.

AC C O M PA N I S T B I O G R A P H Y Enjoying a national reputation as an accompanist, chamber musician, adjudicator and clinician, William Buhr’s work as a collaborative pianist has taken him to performing engagements in over thirty countries on six continents. Buhr has served on the accompanying staff of the Chicago Symphony Chorus at the invitation of founder/director Margaret Hillis, and has accompanied James Levine, Michael Tilson Thomas, Yo-Yo Ma, June Anderson, Berndt Weikl and others at the Ravinia Festival. He has also worked with Stephen Sondheim, Patti LuPone, Audra McDonald and Michael Cerveris in the Ravinia Festival productions of Sunday In The Park With George and Anyone Can Whistle. Holding degrees from the University of Illinois and DePaul University, Mr. Buhr has appeared in many international festivals as well as numerous national and regional conventions of major musical and educational organizations. Mr. Buhr has served on the faculty of the Choral Music Experience Institute for Choral Teacher Education with Doreen Rao since its inception in 1986, and has played for the national touring companies of numerous Broadway musicals including Showboat, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, and The Phantom of the Opera. He has served as the Associate Director and accompanist of the New Classic Singers since 1986, and has enjoyed an association with Anima - Young Singers of Greater Chicago (formerly the Glen Ellyn Children’s Chorus) since 1984.

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F R O M T H E M U S I C D I R E C TO R The New Classics Radio Hour is the last concert of our 30th concert season. Live radio! Well, not really, but our vision of a live radio show on the campus of a mythical Midwestern community college. Appropriate, since we were founded in the spirit of the College of DuPage which existed in 1982. When the college administrators asked me to start NCS, it was to provide a model chorus for Chicago’s western suburbs, one which served as a model for COD music students, which brought high quality and entertaining choral music to the western suburbs, which gave highly skilled singers and teachers a place to continue their love of singing. And for 30 years, we’ve done that. Live radio! With sound effects, microphones, music, skits, ……who isn’t fascinated by the way in which a show magically happens? It’s somehow a more innocent medium than television. And it magically creates an invisible world of the imagination for the listener. Seeing it produced live makes everyone feel like they’re privy to some great secret. *CHANGE. Inevitable. RESISTANCE TO CHANGE. Even more inevitable. Like Death and Taxes. NCS is taking some time off. After 30 years and over 120 concerts of great choral music, it’s time for a break. The McAninch Arts Center is being renovated and we’re taking some time off. Call it a sabbatical, a hiatus. How and when we’ll come back is still unknown. All we know is that after tonight, it’ll be different. Maybe some special projects, some different things, some new creations. But different. CHANGE. It’s been great . I can’t tell you how much fun it has been to make music with this glorious bunch of singers. The repertoire, the rehearsals, the performances. What a wonderful group of singers, of people! Generations of them, in fact. And working with Bill Buhr every week is more than a treat. It’s a party, an education, a blast. The Best.

39th Opera Contest Season

Preliminaries $40.00 per person

Dinner, Tax & Service Charge included, $10.00 Tax Deductible

Mar. 4 & Mar. 11 – 5:30

Thank you to our Board, our donors, our audiences, our guests, our many friends. Who knows when or how we’ll see you again. But it’s been the Best. Thanks for being a part of our audience. From the beginning, we have sung for you. Thanks, Lee R. Kesselman Founder and Music Director New Classic Singers

Semi-Finals $50.00 per person

Dinner, Wine, Tax & Service Charge included, $10.00 Tax Deductible

Mar. 18 – 5:30 & Apr. 14 – 6:30

Grand Prize Evening $75.00 per person

Hors d'oeuvres, Dinner, Wine, Tax & Service Charge included, $20.00 Tax Deductible

Sat. Apr. 21 – 6:30

Bravo Awards $60.00 per person

Dinner, Wine, Tax & Service Charge Included, $10.00 Tax Deductible

Sun. May 20 – 5:30

For Reservations call

773-588-2515

Monastero’s

Ristorante & Banquets 3935 W. Devon Avenue Chicago, IL 60659 NEW CLASSIC RADIO HOUR 3

PROGR A M NEW CLASSIC SINGERS Lee R. Kesselman, Music Director William Buhr, piano Chris Miller, host Michael Moon & Galen Ramsey, sound effects The New Classics Radio Hour Saturday, May 5, 8 p.m. McAninch Arts Center, College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn, IL A live radio show on the campus of a mythical Midwestern community college. After this last show, the studio is being refurbished – or maybe renovated – or maybe torn down. In any case, it’s the last show, or maybe the last show in this studio, or maybe the last show in this format, or maybe the last show for a long time. So as for our live studio audience, just sit back and relax, clap when the *Applause* sign is lit, enjoy the behind-the-scenes making of the show. Because it’s The New Classics Radio Show! [Selections will include the following, though not necessarily in this order.] Hark, I Hear the Harps Eternal As the Sunflower Turns on Her God National Weather Forecast The Best of All Possible Worlds (from Candide) Geographical Fugue Sure on This Shining Night Blow Ye The Trumpet

Arr. Alice Parker Timothy C. Takach Henry Mollicone Leonard Bernstein Ernst Toch Morten Lauridsen Kirke Mechem

Precious Lord

Thomas A. Dorsey Arr. Arnold Sevier

Cells Planets

Erika Lloyd Arr. Vince Peterson

Life is Like a Mountain Railway The Road Home Grateful Make Our Garden Grow (from Candide)

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Charles David Tillman Arr. Nick Page Stephen Paulus John Bucchino Leonard Bernstein

GUEST ARTISTS Michael W. Moon (Foley Artist) is the Technical Director and resident Scenic Designer for the MAC. His many scenic design credits for College of DuPage include Plaza Suite, All My Sons and Rapunzel’s Journey/Sleeping Beauty. He is also the resident scenic designer for Buffalo Theatre Ensemble, his latest designs have included On Golden Pond, Mystery of Irma Vep, and Private Lives. Galen Ramsey (Foley Artist) has had a hand in countless productions at the McAninch Arts Center at College of DuPage. As property master at the College of DuPage, Ramsey designs and builds properties, furniture, hand props, and set dressing for Buffalo Theatre Ensemble, DuPage Opera Theatre, and College of DuPage student theatre productions. In addition to properties, he also designs scenery, sound or music, and video for various productions. His work was most recently seen in BTE’s production of Moon Over Buffalo, for which he designed the sound and properties. Chris Miller (Host) and his journey to College of DuPage is an interesting one. A mere six months after graduating high school from Rocky Mountain High School in Fort Collins, CO., Chris found himself attending Solano Community College in Suisun City, CA. It was at Solano that Chris started a mini-career in theater where he met his future wife, Johanna McKenzie Miller (who is now playing Dyanne in Million Dollar Quartet...check it out!). A few years later, he and Johanna moved to the midwest where they both attained degrees from Northern Illinois University. While at NIU, Chris competed for the speech and debate team where he fell in love with the forensics activity and decided being a part of this community is what he wanted to do for his career. Currently, Chris is in his tenth year as a full-time tenured professor in Speech Communication and the Assistant Director of Forensics for the nationally-

acclaimed COD forensics team and he couldn’t be more happy with his decision. This year, Chris was selected as the Outstanding Faculty of the Year for the Liberal Arts department, an achievement that Chris states, “is the coolest moment of my professional career.” Chris has always enjoyed performing, therefore, two years ago, he and Director of Student Life, Chuck Steele created a show entitled, That Beepin’ Show. This web-isode airs monthly and has a focus of informing the college community of activities and events on-campus with a humorous approach. If you would like to know more about this show, check out the COD homepage, search That Beepin’ Show, and become a fan. Chris would like to thank Lee for this unique opportunity, his wife, Johanna, for her encouragement, and his son, Wyatt, for a perspective on life that only a 4-year old can bring. Have fun everyone!

Concerts, Educational Programs, Corporate Events, Festivals, Receptions and more Laura Kuhlman, director 630.240.3489 laura@thekuhlmans.com

NEW CLASSIC RADIO HOUR 5

N C S 2 010 - 2 011 NCS 2011-2012 Lee R. Kesselman, Director Bill Buhr, Accompanist Soprano Jennifer Berman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Westchester Elise B. Calhoon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Naperville Beth Majerszky. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .New Lenox Madeline Morris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Deerfield Karen Owen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Warrenville Susan Van Ordstrand. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elgin Sadie Wynne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bolingbrook Alto Marcia Ecker. . . . . . . . . . . . . . South Barrington Pam Eiten. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wheaton Jean Follett. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hinsdale Maureen Lyons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Darien Arlayne Pekofske. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Darien Paula Rada. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Oak Brook Terrace Dottie Williames . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sugar Grove

Tenor Sean Doty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Burr Ridge Andrew Johnson. . . . . . . . . . . . Downers Grove Dennis Schafer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joliet Larry Stephens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Plainfield John Whittington. . . . . . . . . . . Downers Grove Jim Yarbrough. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elmhurst Bass Ben Adair. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Woodridge Jack Dare. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Downers Grove Paul Drennan . . . . . . . . . . . . . Glendale Heights Steven Krage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Addison Daniel Saathoff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Warrenville Dave Saunders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Woodridge David Scott. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Naperville Doug Thompson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hinsdale

O U R T H A N K S TO T H E F O L L OW I N G S U P P O R T E R S McAninch Arts Center, College of DuPage WFMT-FM 98.7

It’s always the perfect time of year to buy NCS’ FAMILY CHRISTMAS ALBUM CD. Our CD is available at the Arts Center Ticket Office, at all of our concerts, and on our web-site.

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DONORS Anonymous McAninch Arts Center Ben Adair Michael Aikins Robert & Sharon Scanlon Barton Jennifer Berman BMO/Harris Private Bank Mr. & Mrs. Dean Brandt John D. Breen Mary Burkhardt Allan & Gina Carter Niall Casserly Georgia Conti Rabbi Andrea Cosnowsky Robert F. Dailey Jack & Laura Dare Robert & Jaclyn Doty Paul Drennen Marcia Ecker Barbara & John Ekholm Pamela & Keith Eiten Robert & Nancy Follett Follett Corporation Franciscan Friars of Joliet Barbara Geis Joanna & Jack Goral

Georgia K. Hamilton Jeanette A. Hilsabeck Mele Howland Mona Jethmalani Cynthia & Andrew Johnson Leah & Andrew Kamm Susan Kempfer Lee Kesselman James & Lynn Kessen Durema & Robert Kohl Richard & Laura Sanborn Kuhlman Maureen Lyons Beth Majerszky Mark Materna Marilyn McCormick Linda Motz Drs. Donald & Mary Ellen Newsom Phillip Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Donnell Karen Webb Owen Pat & Allen Pedersen Arlayne & Robert Pekofske Jean Pratt

Sigma Alpha Iota, LaGrange Alumni Chapter David & Janice Saunders Susan Schroeder David H. Shaftman Paul Sirvatka Florence Slavick James & Linda Smedinghoff Mary K. Smith Alice & Jim Snelgrove Larry Stephens Lorraine H. Taylor Doug Thompson & Jean Follett Richard Traut James Tucker Susan Van Ordstrand & James Kempfer Pearl Wei Donald G. & Helen Westlake John & Laura Whittington Dottie Williames Ann Field Williams James & Jean Yarbrough

NEW CLASSIC RADIO HOUR 7

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NEW CLASSIC RADIO HOUR 9

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NEW CLASSIC RADIO HOUR 11

GET TALKING. (Just not during the performance)

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