Invited Choirs | Beyond the Notes 2012 Conference

The Kansas City Chorale
Charles Bruffy
Clerestory
The Czech Boys Choir
Jakub Martinec

The Kansas City Chorale is a professional vocal ensemble that enriches the local, national and international communities through its dedication to excellence in performing music from diverse historical periods. In its twenty-ninth season, the Chorale will present nine concerts as part of their subscription series as well as seven non-subscription concerts.

The Chorale, along with the Phoenix Chorale, has signed a recording agreement with Chandos Records, and in October 2006, released their first recording on this label, Eternal Rest. Their recording of Grechaninov’s Passion Week was released in February 2007, and The Sacred Music of Josef Rheinberger in November 2007. In December 2007, Passion Week was nominated for four Grammy® awards. Nominated categories included Best Classical CD, Best Choral Performance, Best Surround Sound CD and Best Engineering. On February 10, the Academy awarded a Grammy award to Passion Week for Best Classical Recording ,Engineering. In December 2008, Music of Josef Rheinberger was nominated in two Grammy categories, Best Choral Performance and Best Surround Sound Album. Mr. Bruffy’s album with the Phoenix Chorale, Spotless Rose, won the Grammy for Best Performance by a small ensemble. Recent performances by the Chorale include those at Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center, the Troy Music Hall in Troy, New York, and as one of four invited choirs at the 2009 Incheon Choral Festival in South Korea.

Charles Bruffy is one of the most highly respected and sought-after choral conductors in the nation. He has been artistic director of the Kansas City Chorale since 1988 and of the Phoenix Bach Choir since 1999. Under his direction, both choirs continue to merit critical acclaim.

In 2007, Mr. Bruffy’s choruses were nominated in four Grammy® categories for their recording of Passion Week: Best Classical Album, Best Choral Performance, Best Surround Sound Album, Best Engineered Classical Album. In December 2008, his recent releases on the Chandos label were once again recognized by the Academy with four nominations: Best Classical Album, Best Choral Performance, Best Small Ensemble and Best Surround Sound Album. In addition to his work with these choirs, the Kansas City Symphony recently named him as Chorus Director of the Kansas City Symphony Chorus. He conducts choruses across the nation and internationally, most recently in the Sydney Opera House and in South Korea.

Mr. Bruffy is dedicated to commissioning and premiering works by contemporary composers. Recent commissions and premieres include works by David Montoya, Matthew Harris, Stephen Sametz, Stephen Paulus, Libby Larsen, Eric Whitacre, René Clausen, Ola Gjeilo, Terry Schlenker and Kansas City composers James Mobberley, Jean Belmont Ford, Chen Yi, Zhou Long and Ryan Jesperson, winner of the 2009 UMKC Conservatory Composition Competition. He has been an active Board Member of Chorus America and conducts workshops and clinics across the nation. The Roger Dean Company, a division of the Lorenz Corporation, publishes a choral series under Mr. Bruffy's supervision specializing in music for professional ensembles and sophisticated high school and college choirs.

Mr. Bruffy received his Bachelor's Degree in secondary education with an emphasis in piano performance from Missouri Western State University and a Master's Degree in vocal performance from the Conservatory of Music at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Mr. Bruffy has received honorary doctorates from Baker University and Missouri Western State University.

Clerestory is the Bay Area’s acclaimed nine-man classical a cappella ensemble. Veterans of San Francisco's finest vocal groups including Chanticleer, Clerestory's singers, from countertenor to bass, remain members of the Bay Area choral community and pride themselves on providing unparalleled performances to local audiences at progressive prices. Clerestory is named for cathedral windows that let in daylight; we tell the "clear story" of the music we sing through sophisticated performances grounded in decades of experience singing together. Clerestory is a tax-exempt non-profit that relies on public support to sustain its unique mission.

Clerestory is: Jesse Antin, Chris Fritzsche, John Bischoff, Dan Cromeenes, Clifton Massey, Justin Montigne, Tom Hart, Jim Monios, Kevin Baum.

Bios of members at http://www.clerestory.org/members.php

	The Czech Boys Choir from Hradec Kralove in North Bohemia maintains the famous traditions of boychoir singing in the Czech territory as it began in the 13th century with the first boys’ choir at St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague. Current artistic director, Jakub Martinec, began singing as a child with the first boys’ choir established in the region by Jiri and Kveta Skopal in 1982.

As a renowned choral conductor in the Czech Republic, Jakub Martinec has performed with eminent orchestras, ensembles and musical personalities in some of the world’s most famous concert halls, including Meistersingerhalle, Nürnberg (2005, 2009), Grace Cathedral in San Francisco (2004), Winspear Hall in Edmonton, Canada (2006), the Pantheon and the Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome for the leaders of the Vatican (2009, 2010), and regularly at the Rudolfinum Dvorak Hall in Prague. With his choirs, he performed the opening concert of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra (2006), and has appeared at numerous international music festivals including The Prague Spring Festival (2004, 2005), AmericaFest International Festival for Boys’ & Men’ Choirs including the sixth World Choral Symposium in Minneapolis (2002), Festival d'Ambronay (2006), Mitte Europa (2008, 2009), and the highly acclaimed World Festival of Singing for Men and Boys (Prague, Hradec Kralove, 2004, 2008). His recording of Britten's A Ceremony of Carols received a Recording of the Month award by the London-based Classical Music Web in 2004. Mr. Martinec was a conductor with Boni Pueri for more than 10 years, and in 2006 - 2010 he served as the artistic assistant head master of the Boni Pueri Choir School.

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2012 Conference