Water Passion Reviews

The reviews are in! And they are stellar. Here's just a small taste of what people have to say about the Water Passion:

"I can't quite believe what I heard tonight. It was so touching and beautiful. Thank you for giving this wonderful gift of a concert to us." --Karen Taylor, audience member

"Brady Allred presented the work with the University of Utah Singers and A Cappella Choir on Friday night in the Libby Gardner Concert Hall. To say that the work was fascinating merely scratches the surface. . . . There is no preparation in Western culture for the moving experience that awaits the listener during the chilling betrayal scene or the serenity of the concluding moments. At first uncomfortable, the music eventually permeates the being and leads to an ultimately moving experience." --The Salt Lake Tribune

"I want to thank you again for the AMAZING performance of Tan Dun's Water Passion this weekend. I thought about it - and am still - the rest of the weekend and told as many people as I could to go on Saturday night. Ken and I just marveled at the quality of the production and felt incredibly fortunate to have been in the audience. Our daughter Ruby told us this had been the most memorable performance of her life and we could certainly see why. Thank you, thank you, and the School of Music for one of the most compelling, captivating, and beautiful musical events I have ever seen/heard. This was fabulous!" --Donna White, audience member and Chair of the UU Department of Modern Dance

"And hypnotic is exactly what "Water Passion" is. Tan uses quite simple means to capture the emotional impact the story of Christ's crucifixion has. A violin, cello, synthesizer and three sets of percussion join a large chorus in bringing this story to life. Of course, the work needs the right conductor to invigorate the music and capture its soul. And Allred did just that. With his perceptive direction he made Tan's 'Water Passion' speak to the audience. The listener felt the tenderness of Jesus, the anger of the mob and the horror of Christ's death on the cross. Allred's interpretative talents were put to the test with this work, and he passed with flying colors." --Deseret News

"My wife and I attended the performance of this work last week and wanted to thank you so much for bringing it to our community. We were both overwhelmed with it. I have seen many many concerts, by some of the world's finest and most famous musicians; however, the Water Passion concert you orchestrated was the best musical performance I've ever witnessed. Thank you and all the performers for their hard work and discipline, and thank you for bringing such a fascinating work to SLC. With the exception of Mahler's 2nd, I don't think I've heard a more compelling work on the life of Christ. But as great as the music is, it wouldn't have been half as interesting without the passion, enthusiasm and excellence you paired with it. Thank you once again and keep up the good work, what you do is a treasure to our city." --Eric Wadley, audience member

What did you think? Tell us! Leave a comment.

The U of U Singers and "Hail Holy Light"

Brady Allred and Nancy Wertsch

The University of Utah Singers tend to attract cutting edge composers of the day, and this season has been no exception.

Recently, we premiered a piece by New York composer Nancy Wertsch, "Hail Holy Light." The work is a double choir piece set in Latin and in English, and boy is it lovely.

What does "double choir" mean? The usual 47 of us were divided up into two groups of 23.5 (bless the poor Soprano who had to split in half) and we sing practically facing each other with Dr. Allred conducting in between the two choirs.

As a result, the audience experiences an etherial "in-stereo" sound that really brings this piece to life. Cool!

One of the choir's great friends, Dave R. with the help of Kelly N. assembled a spectacular "mini-documentary" about the work. Have a few minutes? Check it out.

As a member of the choir, I'll say that this piece was not easy to learn. However, with some diligence and a lot of rehearsal, it found its way into my heart and into the hearts of the Singers as a group.

So what did the audience think? Here's what they said:

"I love the lush, fluid choral sound that comes from [your] ensemble. My soul was filled up tonight."

"You guys have another sound: uninhibited and disciplined."

"The [song] was great. The quality of music was awesome."

Great feedback! Thanks to the audience members who stayed a minute to chat with us.

Now before I go memorize more music, I must insist that you DO NOT MISS Tan Dun's Water Passion (After St. Matthew) coming up April 10th and 11th at Libby Gardner Hall.

Tan Dun knows his stuff (he did win a Grammy) and this show is sure to be out of this world.

More info to come!

Can't wait? Visit http://singers.utah.edu

Have something to add? Leave a comment!

U of U Singers on iTunes U

Have you ever wanted access to more of the U of U Singers than you ever thought possible?

Are you feeling down that you missed our last concert? (Which was awesome, by the way.)

Are you a poor college student and can't afford our killer CD's?

Well have we got news for you...

The University of Utah Singers are now an official fixture on iTunes U, making ALL of our repertoire and ALL of our live recordings available for U!

As of today we've uploaded all of our live recordings from the '08-'09 academic year, but soon enough our magic recording guru Dan will have everything the UUS and a lot of the other great ensembles at the U have EVER done since concert #1 in September of '03. WOW.

Remember the beautiful beast that was Belshazzar's Feast? The awesomeness of Monteverdi's Vespers? Want to hear what we were up to on our last European tour?

You can! Visit us at iTunes U and see what we're talking about!

Want more info? Visit http://singers.utah.edu or shoot us an email at universityofutahsingers@gmail.com

Does this tickle your fancy?

Does this tick you off?

Let us know... Comment!

U of U CFAC 60th Anniversary, Bobby McFerrin

Looking for a reason to celebrate? How about the University of Utah College of Fine Arts' 60th anniversary!

Following a whole week of events (beginning with the exhilarating Bobby McFerrin workshop/concert), this weekend the U of U Singers will join other Fine Arts students at the University of Utah in a celebratory concert Saturday night at Kingsbury Hall. Including music, theater, and dance performances, this concert should be a great time.

Here are the details:

Friday, March 13 -- 8:00 PM -- Kingsbury Hall

Tickets are $30 General, $20 Staff/Faculty, and $10 Students

They can be purchased at www.kingsburyhall.org or at 801-581-7100

On that note, the Bobby McFerrin workshop/concert was a BLAST! In addition to the other vocal students at the U, the U of U Singers all attended a workshop with Mr. McFerrin where we got to hear him speak his genius mind on music, life, and what it means to be an artist.

(Oh, and we heard his amazing singing, too!)

I must say, for me the true highlight was when two of UUS's very own members were able to get up and jam with the legendary artist!

Did you attend the workshop?

Are you a fan of Bobby McFerrin and want to gush?

Have something else to say that's completely off topic??

Feel free to comment!

Want more information? Visit http://singers.utah.edu

University of Utah Singers

The University of Utah Singers, an ensemble of approximately 45 voices organized in 2003, has won international acclaim through convention performances, concert tours, and participation in prestigious festivals and competitions. In 2006, they won the European Grand Prix International Choir Competition in Tolosa, Spain, in which they competed as a result of winning the Grand Prize at the 2005 Florilège Vocal de Tours International Choir Competition in Tours, France. Most recently, they toured to France by invitation to perform at three different festivals, and were featured on French national television at the Nancy International Choir Festival.

In addition to their international appearances, the Singers have been featured locally at state events, such as the inauguration of Governor Olene Walker and the 2004 opening session of the Utah State Senate. They also collaborate regularly with other Utah-based groups, including the 23rd Army Band, the Salt Lake Choral Artists, Brigham Young University Singers and Concert Choir, and the University of Utah Philharmonia, Wind Ensemble, A Cappella Choir, and Women’s Choir. They have performed in the Salt Lake Tabernacle, the Assembly Hall on Temple Square, and the Cathedral of the Madeleine, and at division and national conventions for the American Choral Directors Association and the Music Educators National Conference.

The Singers have premiered several new works, including William Hawley’s “Flos ut rosa Floruit,” for which they received a prize for the best new work at the Tours competition. In 2007, they were selected by the Barlow Endowment for Music Composition to premiere Judith Bingham’s “Ghost Towns of the American West” as part of an international performing consortium of choirs which included Vocal Essence and the BBC Singers.

The choir performs at Libby Gardner Concert Hall several times a year and much of their repertoire has been recorded on CD, including the double CD set If Music be the Food of Love, which features their 2006 and 2007 tour programs. They have also released a CD of American folk music, titled Home on the Range, two Christmas albums, and several other CDs with works ranging from the Renaissance to Broadway. For more information, please visit their website at www.uofusingers.org.