Deborah Simpkin King to Lead Manhattan Choral Ensemble in Holiday Concert, 12/6-8

The Manhattan Choral Ensemble (MCE) will begin its 14th season with guest conductor Deborah Simpkin King leading a program of holiday music on December 6, 2013 and December 8, 2013. As the fourth installment of the MCE's Reading and Carols series, the choir will present musical selections and literary passages focused on the theme of Love. Dr. King will conduct in place of the MCE's Founder and Director Thomas Cunningham, who is currently on a one-year sabbatical in New Zealand. This is the first MCE program ever to feature a guest conductor.

Dr. King selected all works on the Reading and Carols: Love program-including six pieces from contemporary composers: Robert S. Cohen's I See, Ola Gjeilo's Ubi Caritas, John Karl Hirten's Child of Sweetness, Moses Hogan's Glory, Glory, Glory to the Newborn King, Robert Schuneman's Do I Not Deal With Angels (premiere performance) and Eric Whitacre's A Boy and a Girl. Rounding out the program will be Edvard Grieg's How Fair Is Thy Face, Franz Biebl's Ave Maria and several arrangements of traditional carols.

"Working with MCE continues to be a joy for me. The singers bring both skill and commitment, and each rehearsal takes us deeper into the meaning of each piece," said guest conductor Deborah Simpkin King. "Tom's invitation to select music for and guest conduct this particular concert provided an opportunity for exploring some material new to the group. The theme of 'love' offers many options, and we are enjoying looking at universal and spiritual love, in addition to romantic love. It's a fun program, designed to both delight and move!"

Later in the season guest conductor Andrew Megill will lead the MCE on March 15, 2014 in a performance of Heinrich Schütz's Musikalische Exequien and a new piece commissioned by the MCE from Caleb Burhans. The season will conclude on May 10, 2014 when the MCE welcomes Joseph Flummerfelt to the podium in an evening of favorites from Maestro Flummerfelt's 30-year conducting career.

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