9.11.11 United We Stand - Mozart Requiem

September 11, 2011, 3 pm

LIVE Wisconsin Public Television (WPT) at 3:00 pm

REBROADCASTThe Wisconsin Channel at 8:00 pm

STREAMING ONLINE Wisconsin Channel Onlineat 8:00 pm.

Bel Canto Chorus and Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra

Cathedral Square Park, Downtown Milwaukee, WI

Richard Hynson, conductor

Rebecca Whitney, soprano

Nicole Warner, mezzo-soprano

Gregory Schmidt, tenor

Gerard Sundberg, bass

Program:

Requiem, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Adagio for Strings, Samuel Barber

This concert is being sponsored by the Stars & Stripes Campaign. Become a sponsor by clicking here.

As I was in New York on September 11, 2001, this concert bears very special and unique meaning to me and I am most deeply honored to be a part of it. Read my blog post "To Sing is To Heal" for more of my story on September 11th, 2001.

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Click here to read the review from JSOnline.

Click here to read the review from the Third Coast Daily and see a Flicker gallery of photos from the concert.

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Richard Hynson & Bel Canto Chorus won 2nd place in American Prize for 9.11.11 United We Stand

The American Prize in Choral Performance-Community Division, 2nd place:

BEL CANTO CHORUS

Richard Hynson, director

From the judges: "This is a very fine group performing difficult repertory on the Civil War CD...The entrances and exits are precise, the dynamic range is excellent, balances are good within the choir...the music-making is exciting and often thrilling.  And the repertory challenging and unusual!"

 The American Prize in Conducting, 2012-Choral Division, Community Chorus

Richard Hynson, Music Director and Conductor Bel Canto Chorus

Under Hynson's direction, Bel Canto opened its 81st season on Sunday, September 11, 2011, with United We Stand. This free outdoor concert, attended by 4,000 people, marked the 10th anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks and featured Mozart's Requiem.

From the judges: "Hynson's conducting of the Barber Adagio for Strings was clear, gentle, melodic and expressive...really quite beautiful...(For Mozart) Hynson rarely looked at the score, if ever.  His gestures were always clear and toward the right people.  But more importantly, he was always in character...I saw music being made, not just beats being given.  And the chorus and orchestra responded...it's clear one would enjoy singing for this conductor, who would make a singer sing expressively and emotionally.  This was a very impressive job."

About The American Prize

     More than ever, we need to encourage our artists, for they are the soul of a great nation. As important as teachers or clergy, police or firefighters, doctors or lawyers, artists have the power to bring joy and understanding, peace and contentment to others. They are the vessels of the emotional history of humankind. Artists can heal. 

     Even as the performing arts in America are now largely ignored by the national media, and while many artists and organizations struggle for recognition and financial support, we know that great art is being made in this country.

     All across the U.S., in communities large and small, orchestras, choruses, bands, theater companies and dance troupes are performing; professional, semi-professional, amateur, school-based and faith-based artists are entertaining audiences, enriching their communities and contributing to the quality of life.

     With absolutely no bias against small city versus large, or well-known artist versus unknown, The American Prize seeks to recognize and reward the best America produces. That is the reason for The American Prize.

     The American Prize is judged solely through recorded performances. There is no live competition. 

     Maestro David Katz is the chief judge of The American Prize. Professional conductor, award-winning composer, playwright, actor and arts advocate, Katz was the founder and for twelve years chief judge of the Friedrich Schorr Memorial Performance Prize in Voice international competition. Joining Katz is a panel of judges as varied in background and experience and as geographically diverse as we hope the winners of The American Prize to be.

Learn More http://www.theamericanprize.org/