Chorus Pro Musica Sets 2015-16 Season 'With Strings Attached'

Chorus pro Musica (CpM), under the direction of Jamie Kirsch, commences its 2015-16 season at 8 p.m. on November 7 at First Church Cambridge with a program, With Strings Attached, that features choral works highlighting the special connection between stringed instruments and the human voice. The program includes works by Bach (string ensemble), Betinis (oud), Ešenvalds (harp), Taverner (cello), and McDonald and Forrest (violin); a portion of the concert proceeds will support Quincy Public Schools Strings Program. The season will also include CpM's second annual Family Holiday Concert with the Boston City Singers, the popular Candlelight Christmas celebration at Old South Church, and a world premiere from Andy Vores. The chorus will also join the Boston Philharmonic under the direction of Benjamin Zander to perform Verdi's colossal "Requiem Mass" at Boston's Symphony Hall. CpM last collaborated with the Boston Philharmonic in September and October, 2013, in three critically-acclaimed performances of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in Boston and Worcester. Subscriptions and tickets for CpM's 2015-16 season are now available at ChorusproMusica.org.

"Our 67th season will showcase Chorus pro Musica's innovative programming and command of any and all musical styles in five different venues in and around Boston," said CpM Music Director Jamie Kirsch. "Almost every work on every program will be one the chorus has never performed before, and we're ready and looking forward to the challenge."

The season closes with the world premiere of a work commissioned by CpM from Boston-area composer Andy Vores, called "Spencer the Rover," for chorus and brass band, which is supported by an Alfred Nash Patterson grant from Choral Arts New England.

November 7, 2015 - 8 p.m. ? With Strings Attached

First Church Cambridge

· J.S. Bach: Komm, Jesu, komm, BWV 229

· Max Bruch: Op. 71, No.3. An die Musik

· Abbie Betinis: From Behind the Caravan: Songs of Hâfez

· J. McDonald: Stafford Diptych

· Eriks Ešenvalds: The Earthly Rose

· John Tavener: Svyati

· Dan Forrest: The Nightingale

· Ted Koehler/ Harold Arlen: I've Got the World on a String

December 6, 2015 - 3 p.m. ? Annual Family Holiday Concert with the Boston City Singers, Jane Money, Artistic Director ? Hibernian Hall, Roxbury

December 18, 2015 - 8 p.m. ?Candlelight Christmas

Old South Church, Boston

This concert is a beloved Boston institution that features a candlelight procession with Gregorian chant, seasonal classics and new works.

March 12, 2016 - 8 p.m. ?Journeys

Sanders Theatre, Cambridge

· J.S. Bach: Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam, BWV 7

· Benjamin Britten: The Ballad of Little Musgrave and Lady Barnard

· Arvo Pärt: Salve Regina

· Andy Vores: Spencer the Rover (World Premiere)

April 24, 2016 - 3 p.m. ? Verdi: Requiem Mass with the Boston Philharmonic, Benjamin Zander, Music Director ? Symphony Hall, Boston

About Chorus pro Musica Now entering its 67th season, Chorus pro Musica (CpM), under the direction of Jamie Kirsch, is a Boston-based chorus recognized for innovative programming and superb performances of beloved classics and new works that inspire singers and listeners alike.

The chorus was founded in 1949 by the late Alfred Nash Patterson, one of the most influential forces in choral music in New England, and quickly built a superb reputation for its professional-level musical standards and innovative programming. Over the years, these strengths have led to collaborations with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Philharmonic, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Rhode Island Philharmonic, Craig Smith and Emmanuel Music, and the Boston Academy of Music, as well as various opera companies including Boston Concert Opera, the Opera Company of Boston, and Commonwealth Opera.

The chorus has received two Grammy nominations for recordings made with the Boston Symphony Orchestra on the RCA label. With the Boston Symphony, the chorus performed in several world premieres, including Poulenc's "Gloria" and Britten's "War Requiem." Reflecting its continued commitment to new and rarely heard music, CpM has recently commissioned works from composers including James Kallembach, Stephen Feigenbaum, Peter Child, Abbie Betinis, and Andrew Rindfleisch, and has presented numerous regional premieres, including that of Roger Ames's "Requiem for Our Time" (subsequently nominated for a Pulitzer Prize) and Guiseppi Verdi's opera "Attila."

For more on the history of CpM, read "Not Just Another Chorus," by David Frieze, program notes written for CpM's 50th anniversary celebration concert. For more information about CpM, visit ChorusProMusica.org