Touring Chorus at Millennium Park

On May 28^th at Edman Chapel and May 31^st at the Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park, audiences were captivated by Daniel Brewbaker's new cantata Living the Divine. Commissioned by Anima, through the generous support of a donor, this world premiere performance was four years in the making. The 21 movement cantata, with texts from Love Poems from God: Twelve Sacred Voices from the East and West, ran the gamut from soulful to comedic, poignant to philosophical. Performed by the Touring Ensemble, Susanne Mentzer-mezzo soprano, Cynthia Yeh-percussionist, Kenny Lumb-chorister soloist and Bill Buhr on piano, the music was beautiful and the performances outstanding. Kenny Lumb's performance with Susanne Mentzer of My Sweet Crushed Angel brought tears to the eye, and the wonderful Cynthia Yeh was a joy to watch as she delicately maneuvered through over 30 different instruments required to do this magnificent new work justice. It was a triumph for all involved and the audience was on their feet at the end of each performance.

The choristers who worked so hard on this difficult piece were asked their opinion of both the music and the work involved in bringing it to fruition. Click here to see their responses.

Megan Marshall, Emily (Wayman) Gibbons, Mike Uzuanis, April (Smith) Blacker and Fritz Foss

A group of 80's alums had a little reunion to meet each other's spouses and kids and reminisce. It all started with a facebook photo of some of them in bib overalls and red checked shirts which was the "uniform" for a tour. This evoked so many responses they decided to get together in person. Attending were Mike Uzuanis with his wife and 5 kids, Emily Wayman Gibbons with her four children, April Smith Blacker with her husband, Megan Marshall with her youngest and Fritz Foss came alone. They had such a great time getting to know one another again, meeting each other's families and telling stories, that they decided to do this "right" next year and are forming a committee to put something together for next spring. Megan is setting up some dates and they would love to have a few other people join them to make this a really big, fun reunion and even put together a concert. If you are interested click here for the facebook page and let them know!

Anima’s dedication to new music has long been a part of our tradition. This award comes on the heels of our world premiere performances of Daniel Brewbaker’s Living the Divine at Edman Chapel and at Millennium Park downtown. As I mentioned in my acceptance remarks in Philadelphia, “it’s the composers and poets who reflect back to us who we are, and who help us make sense of our world.” Working with a living composer is a transformative experience for any ensemble, and this spring’s project was no exception. Written comments from the choristers following the performances illuminated what this project meant to our young singers. I include one example:

“The most valuable thing I learned from Living the Divine was that hard work does truly pay off in the end. I am so happy and thankful that I have this amazing experience to carry with me everywhere I go…this music truly touches your soul. I feel transformed inside and out, and of course I got to share it with the people I love.”

And now our hard working choristers are in rehearsals for two upcoming festivals. The Sing-a-Mile-High children’s chorus festival in Denver for our Concert choristers, while Touring choristers prepare for the Somerset Festival in England. Our younger singers have the summer off, after an exceptionally busy spring. May all our families and friends enjoy the glories of summer and the chance to stop and smell the roses while they bloom.