St Peters Chorale

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The St Peters Chorale was established by Graeme Morton in 1982 and is now regarded as one of Australia's leading youth choirs. It comprises students between the ages of 13 and 17 years of age. The Chorale has performed with many of Australia's leading musicians as well as overseas conductors such as Anton Armstrong (USA), Michael Brewer (UK), Heather Buchanan (USA), Andrew Carter (UK) Stephen Cleobury (UK), David Jorlett (USA), John Rutter (UK), Tony Funk (CA) and John Hooper (CA).

The Chorale has established a reputation for its commitment to all styles of choral music and for its particular focus on Australia's own composers, from whom scores are regularly commissioned. Like most Australian school choirs, the choir functions outside the curriculum, rehearsing three mornings each week, for a weekly total of two and a half hours. The Chorale's repertoire includes contemporary Australian music by Graeme Morton, Matthew Orlovich, Dan Walker, Stephen Leek, Peter Rankin and Sarah Hopkins, and traditional music such as the Mozart Requiem.

St Peters Chorale has received many awards and accolades including the Sounds Australian National Critics Award for the Best Performance of an Australian Choral Work in 1991 (Stephen Leek's Once On a Mountain, released on the recording Until I Saw), and a Sunnie Award for the Best Recording of a High School Choir in 1997 (Voyage). During their European tour in 1990, the ABC produced the documentary Singing Cambridge profiling the choir and its music throughout part of its tour to Cambridge in England.

St Peters Chorale has an active profile both within Australia and overseas, regularly undertaking performance tours during school vacations. The choir has toured extensively throughout all Australian States apart from Western Australia, while overseas tours have included Germany and the United Kingdom (1990); Japan (1991); USA (1993); New Zealand (1995); Scandinavia, Germany, Austria and Russia (1998); the USA (2000); England, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary, Austria and Switzerland (2004/5).

[edit] Current Events

Following their hugely successful Winter School with Canadian conductor Tony Funk, they premiered a performance of Matthew Orlovich's "Night", at the 12th International Handbell Symposium Final Concert, which was held in the Brisbane Convention Centre on Saturday August 5th. The St Peters Chorale also spent a week with Canadian conductor Dr John Hooper, performing in a school concert and premiering the first Australian performance of "Missa Brevis" by Robin King(Canadian composer).

Later in the year, St Peters Chorale will perform Mozart's Requiem on Saturday November 4th (one of the only schools in Queensland to perform a Mozart work for the 250th anniversary of his death).

[edit] History

St Peters Chorale was established in 1983 and has an impressive list of past achievements to its credit.There are also a number of recordings available.

Chorale achievements include:

2005

• Returned from European Tour
• Recorded repertoire from European Tour
• 2005- the year of the choir and orchestra: three major concerts with professional orchestral accompaniment:
• "Brightest and Best" RSCM Festival at St John's Cathedral
• "Glorious Company" combined concert with Lucian Singers (Schubert Mass in G)
• Chorale and Alumni performed in 60th Anniversary Gala Concert at QPAC
• Commissioned choral work from Peter Rankine (“When the Heart”)

2004

• Guest Conductor Gary Holley for Term 1
• June Vacation Winter School - Guest Conductor Stephen Leek (Australian Voices)
• Moving Opera Workshop (four days)
• Performance at St Stephen's Cathedral
• Tour to England, Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Austria and Switzerland (26 December 2004 to 23 January 2005)

2003

• Reunion Dinner celebrating Chorale’s 21st year
• Performance at The Australian Voices Festival (Queensland Conservatorium of Music)
• Performance of Bernstein’s “Chichester Psalms” (St Stephen’s Cathedral)
• Premiere of “Beautiful Saviour – In Memoriam Einar Smith”
• Performance at St Stephen’s Cathedral: “For It Is Christmas”

2002

• June Vacation Winter School – guest conductor Heather Buchanan from Princeton (USA)
• Performance at The Australian Voices Festival
• Performance at St John’s Cathedral: “For It Is Christmas” – Rutter “Gloria”
• Recorded “Brief Notes on Canberra” – composed for St Peters Chorale by Ian Whitby

2001

• RSCM “Brightest and Best” Festival – St John’s Cathedral
• Performance at The Australian Voices Festival
• Performance at St John’s Cathedral: “For It Is Christmas”
• Performance of Mozart “Requiem” – Mayne Hall and St Stephen’s Cathedral

2000

• Commissioned Araluen from Matthew Orlovich
• RSCM "Brightest and Best" Festival - St John's Cathedral
• Performance at The Australian Voices Festival
• Performance at St John's Cathedral : For It is Christmas
• Australian premiere of Bob Chilcott's Making of the Drum
• Tour to United States of America

1999

• Commissioned Lux Aeterna from Paul Stanhope (In memoriam Ben Wilson - Chorale member 1996-1999)
• Performance of Benjamin Britten's Rejoice in the Lamb at Queensland Conservatorium of Music, Griffith University.
• Weekend tour to Bundaberg and Gympie

1998

• Overseas Tour - Finland, Russia, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Austria
• Visit by Dr Anton Armstrong (St Olaf College, Minnesota)
• One of only 10 choirs invited to perform at the inaugural Choralfest (Sydney)
• Première performances (Australian) of Andrew Carter's Te Deum and Benjamin Britten's World of the Spirit in a programme titled "The *Glorious Company" at Queensland Performing Arts Concert Hall
• Performance St John's Cathedral: For It Is Christmas
• Tour to Newcastle via Robina, Port Macquarie, Tamworth, Stanthorpe, Toowoomba
• RSCM Sacred Music Festival - St John's Cathedral

1997

(Graeme Morton absent Semester 1 on leave as Acting Professor of Music at St Olaf College, Minnesota)

• Première performance of Iain Grandage: Hush
• Première performance of Matthew Orlovich: Voice of the River
• Tour to North Queensland
• Release of CD: Our Time and Place

1996

• Performance at University of Queensland Commencement Service
• Thanksgiving Service - Medical Research - Mayne Hall, University of Qld,
• Australian Voices Festival - Mayne Hall
• North Queensland Tour
• Performance St John's Cathedral: For It Is Christmas

1995

• January: resident choir at International Summer School of Choral Conducting, Wellington, New Zealand
• Tour of South Island of New Zealand

1994

• New commissioned work - Stephen Leek: Songs of Passage
• New commissioned work - Vincent Plush: Cartographies
• Mendelssohn Elijah (Mayne Hall) with Qld Philharmonic Orchestra, Soloists: Arthur Johnson, Delith Brook, David Quah, Celia Mylne and Robin Maurer,conducted by Lyn Williams.
• Release of CD Voyage
• Première of Stephen Leek's Island Songs

1993

• Three week tour to the United States including performances in Tacoma Christian University, Normandale Community College, St Olaf Chapel (including a broadcast live), Texas Christian University (broadcast live), workshop with Dr Anton Armstrong (St Olaf Choir)
• Recorded Voyage (a second CD soon to be released)
• Rutter Gloria (Mayne Hall)
• Performed in the inaugural Australian Voices Festival of Australian Choral Music
• Performed in the Australian National Choral Association National Conference

1992

• Australian premiere of Andrew Carter's Benedicite
• Performance at Queensland Conservatorium of Music Lunchtime Series
• Performance at Queensland Art Gallery
• Invited to perform at ISME Conference,Korea (unable to participate)

1991

• Three week National Tour - Brisbane to Adelaide.
• Release of CD Until I Saw
• Winner Sounds Australia Award for Best Performance of an Australian Choral Work

1990

• Overseas Tour - Germany, Holland, England, Scotland.
• Workshops with Stephen Cleobury (Director of Music, Kings College, Cambridge) and John Rutter, composer.
• Produced a video for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation titled Singing Cambridge
• Queensland Performing Arts Centre - Associate Artists - The Splendour of the Organ series with Michael Dudman, organist - Vierne Missa Solemnis.
• Myer, Queen Street - Christmas promotion.
• Recorded Worship Sunday for ABC National Television.
• Queensland Performing Arts Centre - Christmas Concert.
• TV 10 - Christmas Greetings.
• National Trust Heritage Week - Concert, City Hall, Brisbane.
• Recorded radio programmes for ABC Encounter.
• Gave a lunch hour concert for the Music Department, University of Queensland.

1989

• Three performances of Gabriel Faure's Requiem in Toowoomba and St Johns Cathedral, Brisbane.
• Invited to send a group of students to Sydney to participate in a demonstration youth choir with members drawn from all states of Australia. The choir worked for a week under the baton of Professor Rodney Eichenberger, brought from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, especially for this event.
• Received from the Australian Government, through the Australia Council, a grant of $A3,000 towards the production of a CD of contemporary Australian choral music. This was the first time the Australia Council has ever given such assistance to a school choir and this will be the first CD ever produced by an Australian school. We know that it will be one of only two recordings of entirely contemporary Australian choral music produced in Australia.
• Invited by the Honorary German Consul (Mr Christopher Featherstone) to perform in another 'German Concert' with Colin Harper and the Queensland Pops Orchestra at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre.
• TV 10 - Christmas Greetings.

1988

• Invited by Colin Harper and the Queensland Pops Orchestra to perform at the Performing Arts Centre in From the Rhine to the Danube, which commemorated 150 years of German settlement in Australia. This highly successful concert was subsequently repeated at Expo 88 on the River Stage and at the Gold Coast Entertainment Centre.
• Recorded St Peters Sings (LP and cassette), released in 1989.
• Commissioned Once On a Mountain from composer Stephen Leek, with assistance from the Australia Council, the Federal Government's arts funding and advisory body. This major choral work, which is particularly Australian in its themes and musical language, consists of twenty minutes of unaccompanied contemporary choral music.
• Toured Tasmania with performances in Launceston, Burnie, Queenstown and Hobart.
• Invited by the Brisbane City Council to organise and perform a concert as part of Cityfest '88.

1987

• Gave major concerts in St Johns Cathedral, Brisbane and a performance at Mayne Hall, University of Queensland.
• Toured South-east Queensland to Stanthorpe, Warwick and Boonah.

1986

• Toured to Adelaide, giving concerts in three states en route and a return concert at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music.
• Invited David Jorlett, from Michigan USA, to be a guest conductor-in-residence with the choir for six weeks.
• Recorded (video and audio) the theme song used as part of the Brisbane bid for the next Olympic Games with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra.

1985

• Performed by invitation at the National Conference of the Australian Choral Conductors Association.

1984

• Staged Purcell's Dido and Aeneas (the first English opera ever written) at Schonell Theatre. This was produced by Giuseppe Sorbello from the Queensland Conservatorium of Music Opera School and was the first time the opera had been staged by a school anywhere in Queensland and the first Queensland production of the work since 1952.

1983

• The Chorale was formed under the direction of Graeme Morton.
• Recorded for National ABC Radio's program In Quires and Places - the first time youth choir had ever performed in this series which hitherto had been exclusively for adult choirs across the country.
• St Johns Cathedral - Purcell Funeral Music for Queen Mary.

[edit] Recordings

To date the Chorale has produced four compact discs.

• Until I Saw was released in 1991 and was the first recording of entirely Australian choral music ever produced in this country. The performance of Once on a Mountain won for the Chorale the Sounds Australian Music Critics' Award for the Best Performance of an Australian Choral Work . This CD also contains the only available recorded performance of Past Life Melodies (Sarah Hopkins) which, through the use of harmonic singing, has become a most distinctive and evocative part of the Australian choral repertoire.

The second CD, Voyage, contains a wide range of repertoire mostly drawn from the 1993 USA Tour programme and gives listeners an enjoyable overview of the breadth of styles tackled by the Chorale.

• Our Time and Place was released in 1997 just prior to the Chorale embarking on its tour to Scandinavia and Russia. This recording contains music that reflects much of Australia's past and present culture. From folksongs to more recently commissioned works from Australian composers such as Matthew Orlovich and Iain Grandage, the music tells of who we are.

• This Our Land was released in December 2004 and represents a compilation of favourite Australian choral works previously released on the earlier recordings by this choir. This CD not only reflects some of the major compositions in Australian choral music, but also represents a 15-year recorded history of this particular ensemble.