VOICES is set to host a free symposium led by Dr. Lyn Ransom, VOICES Founder/Music Director, at the Princeton Public Library on Thursday, February 18, 2016, at 7 p.m. Speakers will share insight into the Duruflé Requiem, the Duruflés’ influence and the circumstances of the Duruflés’ visit to the Princeton area in 1971, when the Requiem was performed at Trinity Cathedral in Trenton. The piece will be presented at the same venue on Sunday, March 6, 2016, at 3 p.m. by VOICES, the Trinity Cathedral Choir and the Princeton High School Chamber Choir.
The seminar will feature key musicians from the historical 1971 performance who will share their experiences. The first half of the 1971 concert was organ music performed by both Madame and Maurice Duruflé, followed by the Requiem conducted by the composer, with Madame Duruflé on organ. Other performers included the Princeton High School Chamber Choir, the Trinity Cathedral Choir and members of the Trenton Symphony.
Speakers will include Nancianne Parrella, formerly Associate Director of Princeton High School Choirs, Virginia Cook Bachalis, a former professional singer at Trinity Cathedral, and organist David Enlow who will perform organ works by Bach, Vierne, and Duruflé as well as the Requiem on March 6. Enlow will share insights on Duruflé, his organ compositions, and the influence of Madame and Maurice Duruflé on a generation of organists.
Dr. Ransom will discuss surprising musical elements she gleaned from a private recording of the 1971 performance and how what she heard will impact how she conducts on March 6. She will be recreating Duruflé’s phrasing, tempi, and dynamics as much as is possible, which may result in an audience experience that is different from that of other performances.
The symposium is free and open to the public. Tickets for the March 6 concert are available at VOICESChorale.org.
Former Trinity Cathedral Choir members from 1971 and Princeton High School Choir members from 1971 are welcome to contact VOICES Concert Manager Carole Moore by February 15 at carolekmoore@comcast.net or (609) 658-2636.
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