Taiwan
Grammy award-winning Ragnar Bohlin conducted the Formosa Singers in concert in Taipei, Taiwan. As part of the performance, David Conte’s work The Waking was performed. Commissioned in 1985 by the Music Parents Support Organization (Lakewood, OH), this work was written for Conte’s alma mater. The composer writes, “I was attracted to the American poet Theodore Roethke’s work because of its powerful evocation of his own youth in the Midwest. In his poem The Waking I found a gentle mysticism and an acceptance of the paradoxical nature of life which seemed a poignant message for young people.”
Here is a performance of The Waking by the Salt Lake Vocal Artists:
San Francisco
On October 28-29, Bohlin led Cappella SF in a performance of Conte’s The Kingdom of God for SATB Chorus, Children’s Chorus, and piano. They were joined by the Young Women’s Choral Projects under the direction of Susan McMane.
Nicholas Jones wrote in a San Francisco Classical Voice review: “At the end of the concert, the young women returned to the stage to join Cappella SF in a moving piece by David Conte, The Kingdom of God, written in memory of those killed at Newtown, and beautifully fitted to both the freshness and vigor of a youth choir and the virtuosity of a professional choir.” Click here to read the full review.
In Tune blog 