DCINY to Present 'A High, Lonesome Bluegrass Mass' at Carnegie Hall

Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) is delighted to present the New York premiere of Come Away to the Skies: A High, Lonesome Bluegrass Mass by Tim Sharp and Wes Ramsay. This enthralling work for choir, tenor, and bluegrass band uniquely combines the powerful hymns of the American South with bluegrass music and the traditional church mass. Special guests, The Chuck Nation Band and tenor Nollie Moore join choirs from seven states, which form the Distinguished Concerts Singers International, the under the baton of Tim Sharp. The concert on Friday, May 22 at 7:00pm at Stern Auditorium, Carnegie Hall will also include From the Voice Comes Inspiration..., a special performance by the Navo Middle School Varsity Treble Choir, directed by Mary Margaret Sadler.

Composer Tim Sharp and librettist Wes Ramsay's Come Away to the Skies: A High, Lonesome Mass assembles a collection of timeless folk hymns, unique to the American South, organized around the church liturgy. The title plays on the word "High Mass" - which gives the work its traditional structure - while alluding to the "high, lonesome sound" of bluegrass music, a term coined by Bill Monroe, considered the "Father of Bluegrass Music."

Opening the Friday night concert is a varied program by Navo Middle School Varsity Treble Choir, directed by Mary Margaret Sadler. The young singers will perform music by Purcell, Handel, Mozart, Samuel Barber, and a selection of American Folk Songs. Also performing are pianist Denise Stephens, Perry Phillips, clarinet, and Julianne Booth, violin.

Tim Sharp is Executive Director of the American Choral Directors Association, the world's largest association of choral conductors, students, scholars, composers, and choral industry representatives. He is in his seventh season as Artistic Director of the Tulsa Oratorio Chorus, where critics have characterized his performances as having "stunning power", and "great passion and precision." Dr. Sharp returned to Carnegie Hall in November of 2012 for the fifth time conducting Vaughan Williams' Hodie in a concert with John Rutter, and recently presented a new hearing for Handel's Messiah at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall. Dr. Sharp's compositions and arrangements include his own choral series through Gentry Publications, as well as this evening's premiere.

The Chuck Nation Band is a world class ensemble of award winning performers and one of the most entertaining and versatile groups in bluegrass/acoustic music. Close harmony vocals and superb instrumental playing help create their distinctive sound. The band is based in North Georgia and has performed over 400 shows since 2010, and completed a second tour of Ireland in 2014 covering sixteen cities. The band includes Chuck Nation (fiddle/mandolin), a member of the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame and a Georgia State Fiddle Champion as well as Susan Nation (acoustic bass), Libby Nation-Whitehead (mandolin/guitar), Jody Hughes (guitar/banjo), and Steve Vincent (drums).

Nollie Moore is Director of the Music Program and an Instructor of Voice at Columbia College in Missouri. His ensembles have toured to Carnegie Hall, the great Cathedrals of Scotland, England, Austria, Italy, and Ireland, and in China. As a tenor, he sings regularly with the Missouri Chamber Orchestra and recently performed in Handel's Messiah in Dublin and London to critical acclaim.

Mary Margaret Sadler is currently in her thirty-ninth year of music education and her fifth year at Navo Middle School in the Denton Independent School District. Having taught choral students at every level from elementary to high school, in addition to college voice, choirs under Mrs. Sadler's direction have received consistent UIL Sweepstakes awards, and top honors at state and national festivals, as well as a featured performance on National Public Radio's "Performance Today."

Founded by Iris Derke (general director) and Jonathan Griffith (artistic director and principal conductor) Distinguished Concerts International New York is driven by passion, innovative vision, a total belief in its artists, and unwavering commitment to bringing forth unforgettable audience experiences. DCINY is a creative producing entity with unmatched integrity that is a talent incubator, a star-maker, and a presenter of broadly accessible, world-class musical entertainment. For more information about upcoming DCINY musical events around the world, please visit: www.DCINY.org.

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