Chorus America and Classical Movements Announce New Commission Consortiums Partnership

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Contact: Liza Beth 202.331.7577 ext. 243 [email protected]

Partnership Between Chorus America and Classical Movements Will Support the Creation of New Choral Repertoire

  Chorus America, the advocacy, research, and leadership development organization that advances the choral field, is pleased to announce that leading concert tour company Classical Movements will serve as the exclusive partner of our Commission Consortium program. An innovative partnership that reflects the two organizations’ shared values, Classical Movements’ multi-year commitment will support the programs and services provided by Chorus America and the creation of new choral repertoire for the benefit of the entire field.   Chorus America’s Commission Consortiums allow choruses to be part of commissioning a new work from a composer and premiering the work in their community for a fraction of the cost of a solo commission. Every year, Chorus America presents two commission opportunities to choruses—one for SATB choruses and one for treble choruses. In addition to financially supporting the overall Commission Consortium program for the next five years, Classical Movements will offer an honorarium to participating composers for the first time in the Consortium program’s history. “We’re delighted to be working with Classical Movements in this new way,” said Chorus America president and CEO Catherine Dehoney. “Not only do our Commission Consortiums bring new choral music to life, they make the commissioning process accessible to more choruses. Classical Movements truly shares these values, and brings a wealth of experience and deep relationships with both choruses and composers to this partnership.”   Both Chorus America and Classical Movements have a long history of commissioning new work. Chorus America’s Commission Consortiums program has worked with leading composers like Alice Parker, Eric Whitacre, Rollo Dilworth, Jim Papoulis, and Craig Hella Johnson. Since 2007, the program has commissioned 20 new works which have received more than 450 local premieres.  With more than 26 years of experience arranging national and international concert tours, Classical Movements has formed long-standing relationships with the world’s most accomplished choirs and orchestras. The Eric Daniel Helms New Music Program is one of Classical Movements’ many initiatives to benefit its clients and the broader musical community as a whole.   To date, more than 65 works from Grammy, Oscar, Pulitzer and MacArthur-winning composers from some 25 countries have been have been premiered by ensembles ranging from children’s choirs to professional orchestras—including several that have premiered during Chorus America’s annual Conference: Tania León’s “Rimas Tropicales” for the San Francisco Girls Chorus in 2011, Stephen Paulus’s “When Music Sounds” for VocalEssence in 2012 and Billy Childs’s “In Gratitude” for the Los Angeles Master Chorale in 2017.   Neeta Helms, president of Classical Movements noted, “Although concert touring remains our core business, it has been central to our mission to bring new works to ensembles who would otherwise have limited opportunity to premiere new music. We are proud to be able to work with Chorus America to make new music accessible—continuing to promote the works of living composers, especially those whose voices are too infrequently heard, to bring these opportunities to the great choirs that are Chorus America members.”   The two organizations will announce the composers participating in the 2019 Commission Consortiums later this fall.  About Chorus America  Chorus America is the advocacy, research, and leadership development organization that advances the choral field. We support and serve choral conductors, administrators, board members, and singers with tools, training, peer networking, and access so that choruses are better able to contribute to their communities.   More than 1,500 choruses, individuals, businesses, and organizations are members of Chorus America and have access to a wide array of programs, publications, research, and personal services developed for their benefit. These services strengthen their ability to build strong organizations that foster quality choral performances.   Chorus America is governed by a diverse board of accomplished arts leaders from across North America, and the executive staff is headquartered in Washington, DC. Learn more at chorusamerica.org.  About Classical Movements  Classical Movements is a unique concert tour company for the world’s great orchestras and choirs, with a reach that extends to 145 countries across six continents. Classical Movements is the only company in the world to work extensively with both professional, conservatory and youth orchestras; they also work with the widest range of choirs across the globe, from many of the world’s top children’s ensembles to large symphonic choruses. Classical Movements has arranged groundbreaking tours to Russia, Cuba, South Africa and China soon after they opened to international travel, as well as in established, prestigious venues.   Classical Movements takes pride in their distinguished history of humanitarianism with local partners the world over, including donation programs, service projects, and collaborative workshops and concerts. Classical Movements produces two international choral festivals—Ihlombe! in South Africa and Serenade! in Washington, D.C.—and the Prague Summer Nights: Young Artists Music Festival; through the Eric Daniel Helms New Music Program, they have commissioned more than 65 works from award-winning composers, appointing their first Composer-in-Residence, Kinan Azmeh, in 2017. Winner of Americans for the Arts’s BCA10: Best Businesses Partnering with the Arts Award, Founder and President Neeta Helms was named a 2017 Mover and Shaper by Musical America. Learn more at https://www.classicalmovements.com/.