Quire Cleveland

Quire Cleveland’s videos watched 100,000 times!

Beverly Simmons — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 16:44:46 +0000

More than 100,000 people have watched the videos on Quire Cleveland’s YouTube channel! We’re thrilled to share this glorious music with people all over the world!

Stay tuned for announcements about next season — concerts, recordings, and more!

Quire Cleveland to perform at Bach Festival in Erie, PA

Beverly Simmons — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 20:00:02 +0000

The Luther Memorial Concert Series in Erie, Pennsylvania, presents Quire Cleveland, under the direction of artistic director Ross W. Duffinin its Bach Festival VI. In the program, “Lobet den Herrn: German Music for Quire,” the ensemble explores the rich heritage of German choral music, from sacred songs and polyphony by Renaissance masters including Martin Luther, to thrilling baroque works by Schütz, Pachelbel, and several members of the Bach family.

Sunday, March 18, 2012, at 4 pm
Luther Memorial Church
225 West Tenth Street
Erie, PA 16501

This concert is open to the public. No tickets are required. For more information, call 814-454-0106 or email Luther Memorial Concerts.

When Quire performed this program last season at the Cathedral of St. John in downtown Cleveland, critics praised the ensemble’s “shining artistry,” and described the experience as “one of the closest equivalents we have to that elusive realm known as Paradise.” Read Donald Rosenberg’s review in The Plain Dealer here.

Come hear Quire Cleveland perform at the Luther Memorial Concert Series!

Anthony Gault

Beverly Simmons — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:05:25 +0000

Anthony Gault is a native of Philadelphia, where he began his musical training as a member of the Philadelphia Boys Choir and Chorale. He continued his studies at the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts, where he studied Vocal Music. Anthony holds a bachelor’s degree in Voice Performance from Temple University, and a master’s degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Miami. He has sung with Apollo’s Fire, Eakins Vocal Consort, and the Master Chorale of South Florida. He currently serves as the Upper and Middle School Music Teacher at Laurel School in Shaker Heights, OH.

Daniel Singer

Beverly Simmons — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:00:04 +0000

Daniel Singer is Director of Choir and Orchestra at University School in Hunting Valley, Ohio. He is also an active arranger and composer, having written for choral and instrumental ensembles throughout the United States. From 2003 to 2009, Daniel worked as a performer, music director, and teacher in the Chicago area. He sang with the Chicago Symphony Chorus and was a vocalist and arranger with the Lakeside Singers. Daniel has a BM in Music Education from Northwestern University and an MM in Choral Conducting from Michigan State University, where he studied with David Rayl, Jonathan Reed, and Sandra Snow.

Brian MacGilvray

Beverly Simmons — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 23:46:16 +0000

Baritone Brian MacGilvray holds a BM in voice from Northwestern University and an MM in voice from the University of Kentucky. He has sung with Chicago Music of the Baroque, the Chicago Symphony Chorus, the Grant Park Symphony Chorus, Chamber Opera Chicago, Church of the Ascension (Chicago), and the Kentucky Opera Theater. He is currently pursuing a PhD in historical musicology at Case Western Reserve University and is a soloist/section-leader at Trinity Cathedral in Cleveland.

Quire headlines Medina Choir Festival

Beverly Simmons — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 23:00:32 +0000

Quire Cleveland is the headliner of the upcoming Choir Festival presented by Medina High School, under the direction of MHS Music Teacher, Tyler Skidmore.

Artistic Director Ross W. Duffin has chosen favorites from the ensemble’s repertoire for their part of the program. Included are pieces by William Byrd, Henry Purcell, Johann Pachelbel, and Gustav Holst.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012, at 7:00 pm
Medina Performing Arts Center
851 Weymouth Road
Medina, OH

TICKETS are $5, and can be purchased at the door or via the Medina High School Box Office, 330-636-3400 (open from 10am-2pm, weekdays).

Come one, come all!

Review: Carols for Quire III at Trinity Cathedral

Beverly Simmons — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 01:02:27 +0000

Quire Cleveland presented “Carols for Quire III,” its third annual pair of Christmas concerts, on December 22 and 23 in the grand and resonant surroundings of Trinity Cathedral. Directed by Ross Duffin, Quire aptly utilized straight tone vocal production to weave an elegant tapestry of the purest of a cappella sounds as they performed choral works spanning the 13^th through the 21^th century with stylistic authenticity, attention to detail and an eye to audience appeal.

Quire opened the first section of this feast of music with several anonymous 13^th - 15^th century works which immediately set the stage for the evening’s fare. The opening works, Orientis partibus (Song of the Ass), and Angelus ad virginem were followed by works of Pygott, Palestrina, and Byrd. All were set in polyphonic style and open fifth cadential endings were predominant.

Duffin, an expert on the performance and practice of early music, joined the Case Western Reserve University music department in 1978 “to direct the nationally recognized historical performance program there.” In his exceptionally explicit program notes (three portrait size pages, single spaced) Duffin pinpointed the important historical details of each work with scholarly expertise. Several of the works were arranged by “RD” as well.

From my position in the front row off to stage left, I was could not only hear the performance but was able to observe the performance “up close and personal.” As Quire ventured through many centuries of choral style in almost chronological order, one was able to clearly experience historical changes in harmonies, textures and performances practices, wonderfully accomplished with such logic!

Duffin utilized the vocal capabilities of Quire by assigning solos, duets, quartets, etc in a multitude of differing arrangements. This added to the overall enjoyment of the performance and showcased the strong vocal talents of each individual singer.

Duffin’s arrangement of Quelle est cette odeur agréable? (What is this agreeable fragrance?) was wonderfully simple, homophonic in nature while moving smoothly between beautifully caressed phrases and a harmonization that was both stunning and pleasant to the ear.

Handl’s Canite tuba in Sion (Blow ye the trumpet in Zion) scored for altos, tenors and basses brought forth a strikingly dark sound and a blend and balance that was lush with integrity and solemnity.

Of course, what Christmas performance would be complete without Gustav Holst’s mellifluous and profoundly moving In the bleak midwinter? Here the singers departed ever so slightly from their straight tone and I seemed to hear a gentle, faint and soothing vibrato sneak into the moment. Wonderful!

Jennifer Conner’s Quiet Promise was the winning composition in Quire’s 2011 composition competition for members of the Cleveland Composers Guild. It was a beautiful and impassioned setting of her own poetry. (Conner is on the CIM composition faculty and is Head of the Suzuki music theory program).

There were many curtain calls. Duffin returned to conduct Quire in a very clever encore arrangement of We [Wish] you a Merry Christmas written by one of Duffin’s old friends [Philip Neuman], who obviously had a delightfully twisted sense of humor as The Star Spangled Banner somehow made its way into the musical line. Great fun and a lot of laughter and joy!

Audiences are often lured into attending choral performances that proclaim to be authentic in style, historically significant, and fastidiously accurate to the period from which the music emanates. And unfortunately, audiences are often disappointed by the lack of the most important factor, the quality of the performance. Not so with Quire. With the exception of one soprano voice that protruded throughout the evening, these superb professional singers demonstrated to all in attendance that their authenticity, accuracy, attention to detail and performance quality were remarkable and their skills prodigious. Quire’s every phrase conveyed an acute sensibility and understanding of the importance of a blended, balanced and pure choral sound.

Carols for Quire from the Old & New Worlds (3rd annual)

Beverly Simmons — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 11:30:58 +0000

It’s a Cleveland holiday tradition — Carols for Quire from the Old and New Worlds (now in its third year) celebrates the season with beautiful and inspiring music from yesterday and today. Under the direction of Ross W. Duffin, Quire Cleveland makes the inspiring architecture of Trinity Cathedral resonate from the rafters with glorious choral song, entertaining and accessible to all.

Thursday, Dec. 22 & Friday, Dec. 23, 2011, at 7:30 pm
Trinity Cathedral
2230 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, OH

Celebrate music from the 13th to the 21st centuries — Medieval carols, Renaissance motets, plus songs from Slovenia, Finland, Spain, France, England, and America. This year’s program also features the world premiere of a work by Jennifer Conner, of the Cleveland Composers Guild, who won the competition to have a piece performed and recorded by Quire.

Children are admitted FREE, when accompanied by an adult, and everyone is welcome. These glorious sounds are guaranteed to make your holiday season more harmonious!

TICKETS: $15 adult; $10 senior (65+); $7 student (full-time); children FREE when accompanied by adult, senior, or student. Free parking at Trinity Commons; nearby parking also available at Cleveland State University Prospect Garage (free with parking ticketed validated at Trinity).

Portrait of a Quire

Beverly Simmons — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 04:18:23 +0000

Before singing a single note, Quire Cleveland was photographed by the spectacular Beth Segal. The ensemble returned to her studio in October, where each Quirister had an individual photo session. The result: great new headshots for this website, as well as inimitable photos of the group.

Pictured above, left to right: bass Nathan Longnecker, tenor David Simmons-Duffin, soprano Judith Overcash, countertenor John McElliott, tenor Peter Hampton, baritone Jonathan Moyer, soprano Gail West, mezzo-soprano Debra Nagy, baritone José Gotera, artistic director & tenor Ross Duffin, soprano Sandra Simon, tenor Tyler Skidmore, executive director & mezzo-soprano Beverly Simmons, soprano Donna Fagerhaug, bass Ray Lyons, tenor Evan Bescan, soprano Lisa Rainsong, tenor Jeremiah Heilman, and bass Ian Crane.

Quire sings Messiah in Chagrin Falls

Beverly Simmons — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 11:30:45 +0000

Quire Cleveland joins the Cleveland Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra and soloists, conducted by Maestro Michael Gelfand, in a performance of George Friedrich Handel’s magnificent oratorio Messiah, presented by the Chagrin Valley Chamber Music Concert Series.

Saturday, December 3, 2011, at 7:30 pm
Chagrin Valley Chamber Music
Valley Lutheran Church
87 East Orange Street
Chagrin Falls, OH
440.539.6376
info@chagrinmusic.org

TICKETS can be purchased at Valley Lutheran Church during business hours or at the Chagrin Valley Chamber Music Concert Series website.