Bellevue Chamber Chorus: On the Origin of Divine Music
$20 ($15 senior/teacher/singer, $10 student ages 13 & over, $5 ages 12 & under)
- Laura Kramer, cello
- Bob Rees, percussion
- Ben Luedcke, conductor
Claudio Monteverdi — Cantate Domino
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart — Ave verum corpus, K. 618
Felix Mendelssohn — Wie der Hirsch schreit
Herbert Howells — Salve regina
Elaine Hagenberg — Alleluia
Morten Lauridsen — O Magnum Mysterium
Imant Raminsh — Ave Verum Corpus
Karl Jenkins — Cantate Domino
Andrew Bleckner — Psalm 42
Gunnar Eriksson — To the Mothers in Brazil: Salve Regina
Howard Helvey / Traditional — Glory, Glory, Hallelujah!
Experience some of history's most beautiful sacred works! This concert traces a historical path of sacred music by focusing on six timeless texts that composers and singers have cherished for centuries. Beginning in the Renaissance era and culminating in modern times, the first half of the concert unfolds in chronological order as the chorus collaborates with cello and piano to offer pieces by some of history's greatest composers, including Victoria, Monteverdi, Mozart, Mendelssohn, and Herbert Howells. The second half of the concert features modern works, which reimagine the same six sacred texts but with a contemporary flair. Morten Lauridsen's Magnum Mysterium is one of his most popular and beautiful a cappella works and is paired with Andrew Bleckner's equally stunning setting of Psalm 42 sung in Hebrew. Gunnar Eriksson's To the Mothers In Brazil: Salve Regina features percussion, improvisation, and maternal cries for an end to war. The concert closes with a rousing and timeless spiritual, Glory, Glory, Hallelujah! The chorus welcomes guest performers Bob Rees, percussion, and Laura Kramer, cello.
About Bellevue Chamber Chorus
Bellevue Chamber Chorus, founded in 1984, performs a minimum of three major concerts each season, encompassing a variety of choral literature from the classical standards and contemporary works to world music, Broadway hits, and vocal jazz. The Chorus often joins other ensembles in performances of major choral/orchestral works, such as Mozart’s Vespers and Requiem, Faure’s Requiem, Verdi’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Brahms’ Requiem, Rutter's Mass of the Children, and Ariel Ramirez' Misa por la Paz y la Justicia. The ensemble has premiered works by regional composers, including commissioned works for the Washington State Centennial Celebration, the grand opening of the Theatre at Meydenbauer Center, a special 20th anniversary season commissioned piece, That Music Always Round Me, by Seattle composer, John Muehleisen, and co-commissions of pieces by Andre Thomas and Eric Whitacre. The Chorus has released three CDs, “Timeframes”, “Retrospective”, and our 2013 holiday CD, “Christmas Visions, Winter Dreams”. Bellevue Chamber Chorus tours often and has performed in Carnegie Hall, various locations in Europe, the International Music Festival (2000) in Sydney, Australia, and twice at the invitational Kathaumixw International Choral Festival in Powell River, British Columbia, where they won first place in 2008 in the adult mixed chorus category. Other performances include the Leavenworth International Choral Festival, the international “Rolling Requiem” in memory of September 11th, as one of the regional choruses in the NEA sponsored American Masterpieces Choral Festival in Seattle, and in Kelowna, B.C. as part of the Okanogan Choral Society Series. The Chorus toured the south of France in the summer of 2017 and participated in the 22nd International Choir Festival in Provence, and the 9th International Choir Festival in Aveyron. The Chorus has been selected as one of only six choirs to perform in a special GSCC event “Welcome Home Morten Lauridsen” in October 2019. Bellevue Chamber Chorus has active memberships in the Bellevue Downtown Association, Greater Seattle Choral Consortium (GSCC) and Chorus America. The Chorus is supported in part by the Bellevue Arts Commission and 4Culture.
http://bellevuechamberchorus.org/About Laura Kramer, cello
Laura Kramer has performed extensively as a soloist and chamber musician on baroque and modern cello. She has performed as continuo and solo cellist with the Pacific Baroque Orchestra, Seattle Baroque Orchestra, NYS Baroque, the Grande Bande and Glimmerglass Opera. Laura also performs with many choral groups in the Seattle area, including Seattle Bach Choir, Mirinesse Women's Choir, Bellvue Chamber Chorus and Vespertine Opera.
About Bob Rees, percussion
Bob Rees, percussionist, graduated from Eastern Washington University with degrees in Music Education and Percussion Performance and a Master’s degree in Music and Music Education from Anderson University. Originally from Spokane, Bob relocated to Seattle where he’s been an integral part of the area’s music community for more than twenty years. Bob is a Yamaha national soloist winner and a Jack Straw Artist Support grant recipient. Bob is an educator and elementary music specialist at Chestnut Hill Academy in Bellevue, WA.
About Ben Luedcke, conductor
Ben Luedcke is in his fifth season with the Bellevue Chamber Chorus, as he began as Artistic Director in 2019. Ben is also the Minister of Music at Seattle First Baptist Church in downtown Seattle. He is currently finishing his Doctorate of Musical Arts at University of Washington and he has held teaching positions in the choral, musicology, and English departments.
Before moving to Washington, Ben was a Visiting Assistant Professor at Monmouth College, where he conducted the Monmouth Chorale and Chamber Choir. Ben has also served as faculty at Grinnell College, where he conducted both the Grinnell Singers and the Grinnell Oratorio Society. Ben is known in Madison, Wisconsin for several of his startup organizations: he was the co-founder and director of Voces Aestatis, a Wisconsin-based professional choir that specialized in the a cappella repertoire of the sixteenth century. Likewise, Ben was the founder and artistic director of Madison Summer Choir, a community chorus that performed large orchestral works. He lives in Seattle with his wife, Vanessa, and their two dogs, Luthor and Oona.
https://bellevuechamberchorus.org/about/#artistic-director