CSU Choirs Perform With Renowned Conductor Simon Carrington
The Colorado State University Chamber Choir and Concert Choir will perform a concert program of traditional music with world renowned conductor Simon Carrington on Friday, Oct. 4 at 7:30 p.m. in Griffin Concert Hall at the University Center for the Arts, located at 1400 Remington St.
This concert, entitled ‘Traditions,’ has familiar music by recognizable composers, including Brahms and Mozart. In the first half of the concert, the Concert Choir performs William Byrd motet, as well as Brahms’ 4 quartets. Benjamin Britten’s Hymn to St. Ceclia is one the program. An homage to the patron saint of music, where different instruments are sung rather than played. Born on St. Cecelia’s Day, the piece is included to mark Britten’s 100th birthday this November. The second half of the concert includes Chamber Choir performing a Palestrina motet, and Mozart’s Misericordias Domini with string quartet.
“There is something for everybody in this concert,” said Dr. Ryan Olsen, Assistant Professor of Choral Music Education at CSU, “And it is such a magnificent opportunity to get to work with such a famous conductor like Simon Carrington.”
Simon Carrington is most recognizable for starting the Grammy-winning King’s Singers. Singing with the group for 25 years, he then went on to teach at Yale University, founding the “Yale Schola Cantorum” choir which specializes in Renaissance and Baroque chamber music. Carrington now spends much his time traveling internationally as a guest composer.
This concert is also a culmination of the High School Music Day on Sept. 28, where 40 to 50 students will work with Carrington in a workshop setting on advanced college level repertoire in preparation to sing in the Oct. 4 concert.
About Simon Carrington
Simon Carrington, Yale University professor emeritus, has enjoyed a long and distinguished career in music, performing as singer, double bass player and conductor, first in the UK where he was born, and latterly in the USA. From 2003 to 2009 he was professor of choral conducting at Yale University and director of the Yale Schola Cantorum, a 24-voice chamber choir which he brought to national and now international prominence, attracting the interest of his successor, Masaaki Suzuki, director of the Bach Collegium Japan. Prior to coming to the United States, Mr. Carrington was a creative force for twenty-five years with the internationally acclaimed British vocal ensemble The King’s Singers, which he co-founded at Cambridge University. The King’s Singers gave 3,000 performances at many of the world’s most prestigious festivals and concert halls, made more than seventy recordings, and appeared on countless television and radio programs, including nine appearances on the Tonight Show with the late Johnny Carson! Mr. Carrington keeps up an active schedule as a freelance conductor and choral clinician, leading workshops and master classes round the world. simoncarrington.com
About Ryan Olsen
Dr. Ryan Olsen is on faculty as Assistant Professor of Choral Music Education and director of the CSU Concert Choir. He has been active in all levels of music education in Kansas, Missouri, Arizona, Texas, and Colorado. Dr. Olsen taught middle school and high school choral music, music appreciation, and music theory courses in the Kansas City metropolitan area and served as the music director in various musical theater productions. He received his DMA in Choral Conducting with a cognate in Music Education from Arizona State University. Prior to joining the faculty at CSU, Dr. Olsen taught music education courses and directed the choral program at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, Texas.
The University Center for the Arts at Colorado State University provides an enriched venue in which the study and practice of Art, Dance, Music and Theatre are nurtured and sustained by building the skills and knowledge needed by future generations of arts professionals to become contributors to the essential vitality of our culture and society. During the 2013-2014 season, the UCA celebrates its fifth anniversary and features several celebratory events that highlight connecting our campus and community with impactful arts.