News and Updates from 2013

December 10, 2013:  A busy weekend yields outstanding results.  The Richmond Symphony Chorus participated in a performance of Handel's Messiah and two "Let it Snow" Pops shows - all on the same weekend.  Messiah ticket sales surpassed goals and received rave reviews.  Clarke Bustard of Letter V called this year's performance:  "one of the most dramatically charged in recent memory."  He continued:  "Erin R. Freeman ... obtained highly dynamic, truly theatrical treatments of many of the oratorio’s choruses, notably the sequence at the beginning of Part 2 that frames the alto air “He was despised,” and set markedly brisk tempos for many airs and choruses....The chorus “He trusted in God” and the bass air “Why do the nations so furiously rage,” both in Part 2, came across with real fury. The chorus “O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion,” in Part 1, which can sound rather ceremonial, here was a joyful outburst......The Richmond Symphony Chorus, its singers mixed rather than divided into sections, sang with energy, expressiveness and generally excellent diction.....The large audience attending this performance showed none of the tell-tale signs of restlessness. Chances are, the roaring ovation at the end would not have been diminished if the five missing numbers, adding about 8 minutes, were performed as well."  Anne Timberlake of The Richmond Times Dispatch wrote:  "Fortunately, “Messiah” isn’t something you tire of, as the Richmond Symphony and the Richmond Symphony Chorus proved Friday evening at the Carpenter Theatre in a vigorous rendition of Handel’s masterwork. Erin Freeman led the annual performance, which featured vocal soloists Michelle Areyzaga, Kendall Gladen, William Ferguson and Sumner Thompson in a 21/2-hour-plus megadose of the beloved work.   Friday’s “Messiah” featured brisk tempos — the better, perhaps, to dispatch the work in under three hours — solid vocal runs and precise synchronization of consonants by the Richmond Symphony Chorus."  The Annual Let it Snow Pops concert was the highest selling Holiday Pops in the Richmond Symphony's 50+ year history.  Featuring the RSChorus, the Richmond Symphony Orchestra, Soprano Lisa Edwards Burrs, and a children's chorus created for the occasion, the concert ran the gamut from traditional classics, such as Berlioz's Shepherds' Farewell, and unexpected surprises, as in the music from It's a Wonderful Life.  
 
October 21, 2013:  Verdi Requiem.  The reviews are in! In Letter V, Virginia's Classical Music Blog, Clarke Bustard said: "Intense quiet was one of the most effective tones of voice in this choral performance.  From the opening "Requiem" through the conclusion of the Mass, the Symphony Chorus created striking effects of shadowed tone and distance in its sotto voce singing.  In louder and more turbulent passages, notably the recurrent Dies Irae, the choristers projected energy and passion, and demonstrated gratifying attending to detail in more complex sections."  Anne Timberlake, in the Richmond Times Dispatch, wrote "Perhaps most satisfying were the crisp consonants and dynamic contrasts of the perennially fine Richmond Symphony Chorus. Like that sizzling bacon, the chorus, a community institution for many decades now, seldom fails to sate."  Read the full reviews here:  Letter V  and Richmond Times Dispatch.

September 8, 2013:  The Richmond Symphony Chorus records Durufle and Bruckner.  In late summer, the Richmond Symphony Chorus released a recording of Durufle's Requiem, featuring Michael Simpson on Organ, and three motets by Bruckner, with the spectacular trombone section of the Richmond Symphony.  Many thanks go out to Arts Laureate for the recording services, AFM 123 and the Richmond Symphony Brass for the technical assistance, and RSC members Ed Galloway and Carl Eng for managing the project.     For more information on RSChorus recordings and broadcasts, visit the Media page.  

​August 15, 2013:  Third Annual National Anthem performance at the Flying Squirrels game.  For the third season in a row, the Richmond Symphony Chorus sang the National Anthem at Flying Squirrel's baseball game.  With fireworks, cool weather, and a come-from-behind victory for the home town team, it was a perfect evening.  

Left:  Nutzy the Squirrel conducts a "warm-up."  
Right:  The chorus poses with Director Erin Freeman and Batting Coach Ken Joyce.

July 8, 2013:  Two members of the RSChorus on All-Things Considered.  David Hood and Dillard Watt, two members of the RSChorus AND Richmond's own NoBS Brass Band receive rave reviews from Jim Fusilli on NPR's All-Things Considered.  Listen up here.  And, for more on the NoBS Brass, visit their website!

July 8, 2013:  Two members of the RSChorus on All-Things Considered.  David Hood and Dillard Watt, two members of the RSChorus AND Richmond's own NoBS Brass Band receive rave reviews from Jim Fusilli on NPR's All-Things Considered.  Listen up here.  And, for more on the NoBS Brass, visit their website!

June 1, 2013: Congratulations to Alto Ellen Broen.  We are proud of Richmond Symphony Chorus alto and member of the RSO Vocal Apprenticeship Program, Ellen Broen, for receiving a scholarship to the Westminster Choir College.  Ellen will pursue her Masters in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy, studying with Laura Brooks Rice.

May 1, 2013:  Welcome Twelve New Members.  After a full evening of auditions, including singing Bach chorales, intoning rhythms, and speaking German, we are pleased to welcome 12 new members!  Congratulations to Molly Bouffard, Eve Minter, Jenny Albert, Maddy Clatterbuck, Allison Elliott, Pam Cross, Anna Windburne, Dustin Shuman, Jeremy Scott, Joshua Spranger, John Schultz, and Dillard Watt. 

April 15, 2013:  Auditions for 13-14 season announced.  The Richmond Symphony Chorus will offer to rounds of auditions for prospective members.  The first round will be May 7, and will cover the entire 13-14 season.  Another round will be offered in August, and will cover membership in the chorus after the October performance of Verdi Requiem.  For details, visit our Auditions and Membership page.

March 30, 2013:  Repertoire Announced for the 2013-2014 Season!  The Richmond Symphony Chorus will feature prominently in next year's season with large projects, intimate performances, and grand traditions.  Repertoire includes:  Verdi Requiem, to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the composer's birth; the annual holiday traditions - Let it Snow and Handel's Messiah; Handel Coronation Anthems with the Richmond Symphony Chamber Chorus; and Berlioz's Damnation of Faust, in a partnership with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra Chorus.  And, as usual, additional projects will arise throughout the season.  To audition for the Richmond Symphony Chorus and participate in this exciting season, visit our Auditions and Membership page.

February 16 and 17, 2013: The Richmond Symphony Chorus performed Mozart's Requiem to record-breaking crowds at the Richmond Symphony's fourth masterworks concert of the season.  Generating the highest ticket sales in the 56-year history of the RSO, this concert also featured John B Hedges' Prayers of Rain and Wind for double bass and orchestra (and a cameo appearance by the RSChorus).  Clarke Bustard, of Letter V - Virginia's Classical Music Blog, said "The Symphony Chorus, which Freeman directs, brought a welcome combination of heft and sensitivity to detail in the Mass." He also remarked: "The conductor and musicians, including an offstage chorus intoning a Southern gospel melody, reveled in the colorful score Hedges crafts for the orchestra."  Anne Timberlake of the Richmond Times Dispatch said "Freeman conducted, impressively, from memory, and the always well-prepared Richmond Symphony Chorus performed with dramatic intent."

January 9, 2013:  The Richmond Symphony Chorus began the year by singing the National Anthem at the opening session of the Virginia House of Delegates.  "Wow!" was the reaction from the Speaker of the House, pictured to the right.  For more pictures, visit the Richmond Times Dispatch.  And watch the video here.