Concert Choir and Friends present program of One World, Many Voices

WHAT: One World, Many Voices
WHO: Concert Choir and Friends Concert
WHERE: 7:30 p.m., Katzin Concert Hall, 
Music Building, 40 E. Gammage Parkway, Tempe
ADMISSION: Free, no tickets required. Doors open at 7 p.m.
INFORMATION: 480-965-8863

David Schildkret, new director of the choral program in the Herberger College of Fine Arts School of Music at ASU conducts Concert Choir and Friends in the ensemble’s first concert of the year, One Voice, Many Voices. The concert is (Friday) Nov. 1 at 7:30 p.m. in the Music Building’s Katzin Concert Hall, 40 E. Gammage Parkway in Tempe. Admission is free, no tickets are required.

“For my first concert at ASU, I wanted an eclectic mix of music that demonstrates a global consciousness,” explains Schildkret. “ I also wanted to involve some of the beloved performers from among the ASU faculty as a sign of my desire for the choral program to be an integral part of the fabric of the ASU School of Music. Thus, I chose music from Africa with the African Drum Ensemble, a pair of songs in Swedish, a set of French songs by Ravel that are among the standard works for virtuoso small chorus, a set of Israeli folk songs that feature clarinetist Bob Spring, and a couple of spirituals, one accompanied by tubist Sam Pilafian. The central work is “Romancero gitano,” a set of songs by Castelnuovo-Tedesco on Spanish texts by Garcia Lorca, with Frank Koonce playing the guitar.”

“Finally, I wanted to challenge the fine singers at ASU and to help them forget themselves quickly into a subtle, sensitive ensemble,” says Schildkret. “On this first program, we are singing finely tuned a cappella music, as well as music with unusual accompanying ensembles.” Concert Choir will sing in eight languages (three African languages, Swedish, French, Hebrew, Spanish, and English). “I hope this indicates the breadth of what we intend to explore in choral concerts at ASU,” Schildkret continues. “We hope that the ASU Concert Choir will quickly become known as a superior vocal group capable of performing the most challenging and sophisticated repertory.”

David Schildkret is professor of music and director of choral activities. Dr. Schildkret holds the Doctor of Music and the Master of Music in Choral Conducting from Indiana University and the Bachelor of Arts in Music from Rutgers University. He has served most recently as dean of the School of Music and director of choirs at Salem College in North Carolina. Dr. Schildkret has also served on the faculty of Centre College in Kentucky and the University of Rochester in New York. He serves as music director for the Mount Desert Summer Chorale in Maine and has conducted choirs and orchestras throughout the United States. Dr. Schildkret has numerous publications to his credit and is an active member of The American Bach Society, the Society for 17th Century Music, the American Musicological Society and the College Music Society. His principal teachers were Robert Porco, Alan Harler, Jan Harrington and David Drinkwater. He has also studied with Julius Herford, Margaret Hillis and Helmuth Rilling.

Media Contact:
Mary Brennan
480-965-3587
mary.brennan@asu.edu