College of New Jersey Chorale & Magnificat Set for Great Music Series Tonight

The College of New Jersey Chorale and Magnificat will sing a joint concert entitled "Song of Songs" as part of the Great Music Series tonight, April 11 at 8 pm.

The lyric poetry of the Song of Songs has been a source of inspiration to composers for centuries. In this shared performance with the critically acclaimed English vocal ensemble, Magnificat, The College of New Jersey Chorale returns to St. Bart's to present settings of these passionate texts from the sixteenth-century to the present day. The program will include music by Palestrina, Bertolusi, Clemens, Da Silva, L'Heritier, and Praetorius, and also the New York City Premiere of Donald McCullough's Song of the Shulamite for chorus, soprano soloist, harp, marimba and xylophone.

The Chorale, under the direction of John P. Leonard, is the premier choral ensemble at The College of New Jersey. During their last performance at St. Bart's with the Argento Ensemble, TCNJ's Chorale was praised as "excellent" with "superlative voices," (ConcertoNet.com) and "entirely in control" (New York Arts). In addition to their regular concert schedule, the Chorale is the resident American Chorus with the annual Hand in Hand concerts at Lincoln Center with New York City Opera Orchestra musicians.

Since its formation in 1991 by director Philip Cave, Magnificat has forged a reputation as one of the premier early music consorts. The reviews say it all: 'The choral sound is extraordinarily coherent...clearly Cave and Magnificat are the team for this repertory' (Fanfare Magazine). 'Director Philip Cave creates some revelatory readings...For clarity, nuance and intimacy, Magnificat's vocalists are unmatched' (BBC Music Magazine). 'The performances are guaranteed to refresh even the most jaded palate' (Early Music Review).Magnificat's hallmark sound and exquisite musical interpretations can be heard on more than a dozen CDs. In addition to their concert and recorded performances, the group maintains an active pedagogical schedule with workshops and master-classes in the UK and USA.

Tickets at $25 and $15 for seniors and students will be available online at mmpaf.org or by calling the Concert Office at (212) 378-0248. Tickets will also be available at the door on the evening of the concert. St. Bartholomew's is located at Park and 51st Street in Manhattan.

The Great Music Series, produced by the Mid-Manhattan Performing Arts Foundation, Inc., offers a diverse variety of concerts from large scale choral works and organ concerts in the church to chamber music in the acoustically remarkable chapel. Crucial to the musical programming of the series is St. Bartholomew's Choir, a fully professional choir, and the Boy and Girl Choristers, renowned as one of the finest children's choir in the metropolitan area. The church also possesses an Aeolian/Skinner pipe organ of 168 stops, the largest in New York City and considered to be one of the greatest examples of the American Classic Organ of the 20th century.