High School Tenor & Bass Festival - Christopher Aspaas, guest clinician

KANTOREI 2018 High School Tenor & Bass Festival Concert Friday, Sept. 21 @ 7:30pm Christ Church Denver

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Featuring special guest Christopher Aspaas, clinician

9/13/2018 11:26:59 PM

PROGRAM CHERRY CREEK HIGH SCHOOL TROUBADOURS Sarah Harrison, conductor Constance Branton, piano

Laudate nomen ejus

Nancy Hill Cobb

Wide Open Spaces

Sarah Quartel

ARVADA VARSITY MEN’S CHORUS Chris Maunu, director

Soldier’s Chorus from Faust Glory from Selma

Charles Gounod arr. Eugene Rogers recorded by John Legend and Common Calen Brudos-Nockels, soloist

BROOMFIELD HIGH SCHOOL MEN'S CHOIR Michael Bizzaro, Director

The Pirate Song

Tim Jones

Song of Myself

John Michael Trotta

GRANDVIEW SUPERMEN CHORUS Darin Drown, director

Wade in the Water Scarborough Fair

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Arr. Patrick Quigley Arr. Stan Engebretson

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KANTOREI TENORS AND BASSES Joel Rinsema, Artistic Director

My Pierwsza Brygada (“The March of the First Brigade”)

arr. Derek Myler

Alicia Rigsby and Erin Pettitt, piano Dúlamán

Michael McGlynn Matt Gierke, tenor

MASSED CHOIR SELECTIONS Dr. Chris Aspaas, director Alicia Rigsby, piano

Dies Irae Star of Light Oba se je

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Ryan Main Laura Farnell Christopher Aspaas

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PERFORMERS CHERRY CREEK HIGH SCHOOL TROUBADOURS

The Cherry Creek High School Troubadours is an auditioned, curricular tenor and bass choral ensemble under the direction of Sarah Harrison. CCHS is a rigorous public school in Greenwood Village, recognized as a GRAMMY Signature School of Excellence. Troubadours is comprised of sophomores, juniors, and seniors dedicated to finding the fun in being serious about excellence. The choir stresses not only the aesthetics of music, but also an understanding of music literacy, theory, and history through the performance of choral literature. Founded in 2011, Troubadours is the most recent addition to a strong music program that has had choirs, bands, and orchestras which appear at numerous state, regional, and national conventions, including CMEA in 2017. Troubadours tours annually in order to work with some of the finest choral conductors from all over the country. Locations have included New York City, Miami, Portland, and San Antonio. This November, they will travel to Los Angeles.

ARVADA VARSITY MEN’S CHORUS

Varsity Men’s Chorus is a 48-voice ensemble made up of tenors and basses from grades 9–12 in Arvada West High School. The ensemble has received the highest marks at contests, including the Most Outstanding Overall Choir at the 2016 World Strides Festival in Colorado Springs. They have appeared numerous times as an honor choir at the Colorado Music Educator’s Association Clinic/Conference. They were also invited to perform at Augustana Arts’ Choral Elite concert two years ago. An extracurricular ensemble, they meet twice per week after school for 50 minutes. Varsity Men’s Chorus is a true brotherhood, made up of passionate young men who are in the choir for the pure joy of bonding through singing.

BROOMFIELD HIGH SCHOOL MEN’S CHOIR

Broomfield High School Men’s Choir is open to students in grades 9–12, regardless of their previous musical experience. They have chosen 4 pillars that they strive to achieve in their daily lives—they aim to be selfless, honest, respectful, and loyal. The choir is picking up a lot of momentum, having grown to almost 30 members, up from 14, over the past 2 years. This is their first choral experience outside the walls of Broomfield HS and they are excited to be making music with their peers.

GRANDVIEW SUPERMEN CHORUS

The Grandview Supermen chorus is an extracurricular chorus of the tenor and bass part singers in the top two ensembles of the Grandview High School choir program. They rehearse 40 minutes, once per week. The group has been in existence for the past five years. They have performed at The Colorado Music Educator’s Conference (2016), and last year received the Presenter’s Award for outstanding ensemble selected at the 2017 International Youth Barbershop Chorus festival in Anaheim, CA.

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KANTOREI

Kantorei is a premier choral ensemble based in Denver and comprised of volunteer singers under the direction of Artistic Director Joel M. Rinsema. Kantorei’s choral artists have studied at schools with strong music programs across the United States such as Baylor University, Brigham Young University, Eastman School of Music, Indiana University, St. Olaf College, Wartburg College, and Westminster Choir College. Many of the singers serve as choral music educators, conductors, and teachers.

In addition to its Denver-based concert season, Kantorei frequently performs at major choral conventions across the U.S., has toured around the world, and works with composers and conductors of international renown. Kantorei has sung under the batons of René Clausen, Simon Carrington, Eric Whitacre, Karen Kennedy, and Anton Armstrong. Kantorei has commissioned and premiered new choral works from renowned composers including Kim André Arnesen, Eric William Barnum, Abbie Betinis, René Clausen, Ola Gjeilo, Joshua Shank, and Eric Whitacre. Naxos released Kantorei’s recording—its first to be professionally produced—of works by Kim André Arnesen in 2018. Santa Barbara Music Publishing Inc., publishes the Kantorei Choral series.

Formed in 1997 under the leadership of six friends and artistic director Richard Larson who decided to form a choir capable of singing a broad range of a cappella choral music, Kantorei established itself as one of the nation’s premier choral ensembles after performing as an auditioned choir for the 2003 National American Choral Directors Association Conference at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

Kantorei performs a broad range of a cappella choral music with the mission “to elevate the human experience through choral excellence.”

KANTOREI’S 2018-19 Season

SING, WEARING THE SKY: CHORAL MUSIC OF JAKE RUNESTAD Sept. 29 & 30

A KANTOREI CHRISTMAS Dec. 13, 15 & 16

ALL THINGS BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL Feb. 22, 23 & 24

LET’S DANCE May 18 & 19

Tickets and more info at WWW.KANTOREI.ORG

Student tickets are always free, but make sure to reserve online in advance

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9/13/2018 11:27:03 PM

JOEL M. RINSEMA ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Artistic Director Joel M. Rinsema joined Kantorei in 2014, becoming the second conductor in its history.

During his tenure, Kantorei has already experienced tremendous growth of its audiences, nearly tripled its budget size, and launched an ambitious recording strategy beginning with its first professionally recorded and produced recording project on the Naxos label in early 2018.

A frequent collaborator and champion of new works for chorus, Joel has commissioned and premiered work of many of today’s leading composers including Kim André Arnesen, Mason Bates, René Clausen, Ola Gjeilo, Mark Hayes, Cecilia McDowall, David Montoya, Timothy Tharaldson, and Eric Whitacre.

He is an accomplished conductor of major works for choir and orchestra and was one of eighteen conductors chosen nationally through audition to participate in master classes and workshops presented by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association and Chorus America. As a tenor soloist, Joel performed across the United States and in Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic.

Joel is a passionate advocate for the professional choral art form, and he frequently consults with other choral arts organizations locally and around

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the country. Because of his leadership in his field, he received the Louis Botto Award for “Innovative Action and Entrepreneurial Zeal” from Chorus America, the industry’s advocacy, research, and leadership development organization for choral ensembles.

He came to Kantorei from the Grammy Award-winning Phoenix Chorale. Throughout his 23-year tenure with the Phoenix Chorale, he served in nearly every capacity with the organization including the last 15 years as President & CEO and Assistant Conductor. He negotiated an ongoing recording contract with the prestigious U.K.-based Chandos Records, and Phoenix Chorale recordings earned a total of eight Grammy nominations and two Grammy wins. Joel appears on all of the Phoenix Chorale recordings and was a soloist on the Grammy Award-winning “Spotless Rose: Hymn to the Virgin Mary.”

In addition to his work with the Phoenix Chorale, Joel served as the Director of Music at Church of the Beatitudes United Church of Christ in Phoenix for 15 years, and was the founding chorus master of the Arizona Musicfest Chorus. He holds music degrees from Arizona State and Whitworth Universities. In March 2017, Joel began his tenure as the North American Choral Promotion Manager for Oxford University Press based in Oxford, England.

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CHRISTOPHER ASPAAS CLINICIAN

Christopher Aspaas serves as director of choral activities and associate professor of music at TCU. Christopher received his PhD in Choral Music Education at The Florida State University in Tallahassee, his MM in Choral Conducting from Michigan State University in East Lansing, and his BM.in Voice Performance from St. Olaf. Christopher has served on the faculties of St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington, and Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts.

At TCU, Christopher leads the Concert Chorale, TCU’s flagship mixed ensemble as well as the FrogCorps, TCU’s premier male vocal ensemble. He also teaches coursework in basic conducting, choral conducting, choral literature, and advanced choral conducting, and oversees the graduate choral conducting program.

His travels as a guest conductor, clinician, adjudicator, and lecturer, these things having taken Christopher to Alabama, Alaska, Alberta, British Columbia, Florida, Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, North

Dakota, Ontario, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and three times to the Sultanate of Oman. He has conducted All-State Choruses in Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, Minnesota, North Dakota, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Virginia, and Wisconsin, as well as the British Columbia and Manitoba All-Province Honour Choirs. Additionally, Christopher led the All-Northwest Mixed Choir in 2015 and ACDA Southern Division Men’s Honor Choir in 2016. Most recently, Christopher travelled to South Korea to headline the 35th Annual International Symposium on Choral Music.

Christopher has produced more than 40 arrangements and compositions for mixed, men’s, and women’s choirs. His works are published by Augsburg Fortress, earthsongs, Hal Leonard, and Aspen Hill Music, a publishing house Christopher co-founded with his wife, Nancy, in 2013. His latest commission premiered at the 2017 National Conference of the American Choral Directors Association in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

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9/13/2018 11:27:07 PM

AVAILABLE NOW AT KANTOREI.ORG/INFINITY

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9/13/2018 11:27:10 PM