An American Requiem

An American Requiem is a monumental work of choral music by the composer James DeMars.^[1]

Following the 1992 Los Angeles riots subsequent to the Rodney King trial, Dr. James DeMars, a professor of Music Composition at Arizona State University, was commissioned by the Art Renaissance Foundation to write a large memorial work that would contribute to bringing the American community together.

The 75-minute choral work, entitled An American Requiem, took a full year to be written and orchestrated. It involves large musical forces: a 42-member symphony orchestra, a professional choir of at least 100 voices, and the four traditional vocal soloists (SMTB): Soprano, Mezzo-soprano, Tenor and Bass. The Foundation dedicated the Requiem to "all Americans who dedicated their lives to building this great nation."

A first presentation took place on November 22, 1993 at Saint Mary Basilica in Phoenix, Arizona - to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, after the work, still in progress, had received a dedication from President Bill Clinton in a letter dated September 16, 1993.

The premiere took place on MLK Day at Symphony Hall in Phoenix on January 14, 1994. In the meantime, letters presenting the project to national and international figures had received responses: Three Nobel Peace Prize recipients - Mother Teresa, Archishop Desmond Tutu and Poland President Lech Walesa elected to dedicate this work to the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Thirty-four state governors and countless city, state and federal officials also endorsed the concept.

A live digital recording was made at the time of the premiere performance. It was sent to hundreds of choir directors and festival organizers to inform them of the existence of the music - in the perspective of the commemorations of the 50th anniversary of D-Day in 1994, and that of the end of World War II in 1995.

Two D-Day Memorial performances took place on June 6, 1994 - one in St Mary's Cathedral in San Francisco, the other one in Paris, France. Later the same year, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir contacted the Art Renaissance Foundation to study the possibility to perform the music in regard to the celebration of the end of WW II.

Early August, 1995, first at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, then in the church of St John the Divine in New York City, The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, four outstanding soloists including renowned tenor Robert Breault and baritone Simon Estes, and the Arlington Symphony conducted by the composer himself, delivered memorable concerts. Trey Graham, music critic of the Washington Post, wrote a favorable review.

One of the two that took place in New York was captured on television and subsequently broadcast over the next three years on more than 80 PBS stations across the United States. Norman Scribner, founder of the Choral Arts Society of Washington, sent a vibrant letter of support (February 20, 1996) and offered to present An American Requiem to the Pulitzer Prize in Music.

In 1996, the Tanner Gift of Music produced An American Requiem in the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, with the Utah Symphony and the same soloists conducted by Dr. DeMars. At the same time, contact had been established with the First Lady of France, Mrs. Bernadette Chirac, founder of the City of Paris Festival of Sacred Music. Mrs, Chirac greatly appreciated the work, and offered to include it in the 1997 Festival.

An American Requiem was given before an enthusiastic French audience in October 2007. At this occasion, the composer Dr. DeMars was presented by French Senator André Maman with the Knighthood in the French Order of Arts & Letters during a reception at the American Embassy in Paris. The success of the two Festival concerts was such that a group of large French companies (including AXA Insurance Group) offered to sponsor a second season of concerts the following year. Decision was made to present a new version of An American Requiem for great organ, choir and vocal soloists. The Paris church of Saint Eustache was selected for its magnificent Cavaillé-Coll organ, recently restored at great expense by the City of Paris. Jean Guillou, the world-known organist in charge of this magnificent instrument, regretted to decline the invitation to perform, because of concert commitments abroad. He attended the December 1998 concerts, however, and congratulated all performers, especially the composer and organist David Noel-Hudson. A professional recording was made at this occasion.

In 2002, An American Requiem returned to Phoenix Symphony Hall for the first anniversary of the September 11 attacks, with the participation of the full Phoenix Symphony Orchestra, four community choirs and superb soloists, including Met diva mezzo-sprano Isola Jones, and tenor Robert Breault. Similar initiatives took place in 2004 and 2006 in Phoenix, Arizona.

In April 2010, composer James DeMars received the Arizona Governor's Award for "Artist of the Year" - after his oratorio "Guadalupe - the Miracle of the Roses" was submitted to the Pulitzer Prize in Music.^[2][3][4]

• Robert Breault, Simon Estes, Linda Childs, Audrey Luna, soloists at The Cathedral of St. John the Divine, NYC, and The Kennedy Center, Washington, DC, 1995.
• Organ version: 1998, Paris, France. Organist: David Noel-Hudson, sponsored by The Progress Corporation, France, performed at Saint-Eustche. Subsequent score for organ written by Jean Guillow, master organist. Michel F. Sarda and Art Renaissance Initiative (Foundation), Phoenix, AZ, produced several concerts.

Other performances: Phoenix, Arizona, San Francisco, California, Canada, Beaches of Normandy, France, PBS broadcasts 1995 - 1998, 80 stations in United States.

References