UK Chorale, Lexington Singers to Perform 'Requiem' World Premiere
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 18, 2015) — The University of Kentucky Chorale will join forces with The Lexington Singers for the world premiere of local composer Gregory Partain’s masterpiece "Requiem." The ensembles will join their voices in song 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20, at Singletary Center for the Arts.
Conducted by Jefferson Johnson, director of UK Choral Activities and music director of The Lexington Singers, "'Requiem' and Other Sacred Works" will feature the combined voices of the two choral groups along with soloists and a professional orchestra.
Gregory Partain is professor of music at Transylvania University and has performed as piano recitalist, concerto soloist and chamber music collaborator throughout the United States, as well as in Germany, Poland, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Russia and Greece. "Requiem" was commissioned by the Kentucky Music Teachers Association in conjunction with the Music Teachers National Association. Originally, "Requiem" was an entirely a cappella piece, however, Partain’s newest incarnation is scored for chorus and orchestra with an additional movement for instruments alone.
"The work is by turns beautiful and dissonant, soothing and gut wrenching, powerful and intimate. It is an honor to premiere this finished masterwork and an exciting challenge to perform it," Johnson said.
The UK Chorale is the premier mixed choral ensemble at UK School of Music in the UK College of Fine Arts. It consists mostly of upperclassmen and graduate students. While the majority of singers are music majors, there are a number of other academic disciplines represented within the ensemble. The 40-voice group prides itself in performing a wide variety of choral literature from Renaissance to 21st century. Most recently, the UK Chorale has performed Mozart’s "Requiem" with the UK Symphony Orchestra and the live score to Stanley Kubrick’s iconic film, "2001: A Space Odyssey." The UK Chorale was the first non-professional chorus in the world to perform the challenging Kubrick film score in its entirety.
The Lexington Singers add this premiere to their long tradition of debuting major works, including Rollo Dilworth’s "In the Spirit of Reconciliation," Rene Clausen’s "Celebration Canticles" and Joseph Baber’s "An American Requiem," among others.
"'Requiem' and Other Sacred Works" kicks off the 57th season for The Lexington Singers. This season, the singers are celebrating local talent. In addition to Partain’s "Requiem," the annual performance of George Frideric Handel’s "Messiah" will once again feature world-renowned local soloist and UK alumnus Gregory Turay. The spring will feature a performance of local composer Angela Rice’s oratorio, "Thy Will be Done."
Tickets for "'Requiem' and Other Sacred Works" range from $9 to $20 and can be purchased from the Singletary Center box office at 859-257-4929, www.scfatickets.com, or in person at the box office.
For more information about this concert or The Lexington Singers, visit www.lexsing.org.
MEDIA CONTACT: Whitney Hale, 859-257-8716; whitney.hale@uky.edu