Coro Allegro
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Coro Allegro is a classical music choral group based in
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, Massachusetts, drawing its members from the
LGBT community The LGBT community (also known as the LGBTQ+ community, GLBT community, gay community, or queer community) is a loosely defined grouping of lesbian, gay men, gay, bisexuality, bisexual, transgender, and other queer individuals united by a comm ...
. It was founded in 1990.


Profile and performances

Coro Allegro was founded specifically to be a chorus of both gay men and lesbians who share a passion for music, and it remains the only organization in Boston committed to bringing exciting classical repertoire to the LGBTQ+ community. The chorus also succeeds in bringing classical music to a wider audience. In its first twenty years, its numbers grew from just twenty singers to more than sixty. The chorus regularly collaborates with other musical ensembles. Among its most notable collaborations have been performances of Mendelssohn’s ''
Elijah Elijah ( ; he, אֵלִיָּהוּ, ʾĒlīyyāhū, meaning "My God is Yahweh/YHWH"; Greek form: Elias, ''Elías''; syr, ܐܸܠܝܼܵܐ, ''Elyāe''; Arabic: إلياس or إليا, ''Ilyās'' or ''Ilyā''. ) was, according to the Books of ...
'' in 1999 with the
Boston Cecilia The Boston Cecilia is a choral society in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1876, the ensemble has enjoyed historic relationships with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and famous conductors and composers, such as Arthur Fiedler, Igor Stravinsky, and An ...
and the
Handel and Haydn Society The Handel and Haydn Society is an American chorus and period instrument orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. Known colloquially as 'H+H', the organization has been in continual performance since its founding in 1815, the longest-serving suc ...
under the direction of
Christopher Hogwood Christopher Jarvis Haley Hogwood (10 September 194124 September 2014) was an English conductor, harpsichordist, writer, and musicologist. Founder of the early music ensemble the Academy of Ancient Music, he was an authority on historically info ...
; of Robert Kapilow’s baseball cantata, a setting of ''
Casey at the Bat Casey at the Bat is a poem written in 1888 by Ernest Thayer. Casey at the Bat may also refer to: * ''Casey at the Bat'' (1916 film), a film based on the poem * ''Casey at the Bat'' (1927 film), a film based on the poem * ''Casey at the Bat'', an ...
'' for chorus, in 2001 with Musica Viva in collaboration choreographer Daniel Pelzig; of Brahms’ ''German Requiem'' in 2003 with Boston Cecilia under the baton of Donald Teeters; and of both Poulenc's ''
Gloria Gloria may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Christian liturgy and music * Gloria in excelsis Deo, the Greater Doxology, a hymn of praise * Gloria Patri, the Lesser Doxology, a short hymn of praise ** Gloria (Handel) ** Gloria (Jenkins) ...
'' and Bernstein's ''
Chichester Psalms ''Chichester Psalms'' is an extended choral composition in three movements by Leonard Bernstein for boy treble or countertenor, choir and orchestra. The text was arranged by the composer from the Book of Psalms in the original Hebrew. Part 1 ...
'' in 2004 with Boston Cecilia. Coro Allegro participates in the quadrennial
GALA Choruses The Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses ("GALA Choruses") is an international association of LGBT choruses founded in 1982. In its inaugural performance 14 choruses performed together in September 1982 in San Francisco as part of the first Gay ...
Festival. It has also traveled to participate in the following music festivals: *
Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...
, 1996 *
San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popul ...
, 2000 *
Place des Arts Place may refer to: Geography * Place (United States Census Bureau), defined as any concentration of population ** Census-designated place, a populated area lacking its own municipal government * "Place", a type of street or road name ** Often ...
,
Montreal, Quebec Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-pea ...
, 2004 *
Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts The Arsht Center is a performing arts center located in Miami, Florida. It is one of the largest performing arts centers in the United States. The center was partly built on the site of a former Sears department store; an Art Deco building const ...
,
Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
, 2008 *
Denver Performing Arts Complex The Denver Performing Arts Complex (also referred to as the "Arts Complex") is located in Denver, Colorado and is one of the largest performing arts centers in the United States. The DCPA is a four-block, site containing ten performance sp ...
,
Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
, 2012


Premieres and commissions

During its history Coro Allegro has presented 23 world premieres, including 14 works commissioned by or for Coro Allegro, plus three American premieres and five Boston premieres. *
Kenneth Fuchs Kenneth Daniel Fuchs (born July 1, 1956) is a Grammy Award-winning American composer. He currently serves as Professor of Music Composition at the University of Connecticut (Storrs). Music Kenneth Fuchs's fifth Naxos recording with the London ...
' ''Three Songs on Robert Frost Texts'', 1994 *Kenneth Fuchs' ''In the Clearing'', 1995 *
Daniel Pinkham Daniel Rogers Pinkham Jr. (June 5, 1923 – December 18, 2006) was an American composer, organist, and harpsichordist. Early life and education Born in Lynn, Massachusetts, into a prominent family engaged in the manufacture of patent medicines ( ...
's ''The White Raven'', 1996 *
Ruth Lomon Ruth Lomon (7 November 1930 – 26 September 2017) was a Canadian classical composer. A native of Montreal, Canada, she was born in Montreal and died in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She attended le Conservatoire de Quebec and McGill University. Sh ...
's ''Requiem'' for soprano and chorus accompanied by brass and woodwinds, 1997 *
Patricia Van Ness Patricia Van Ness (born 1951) is an American composer living in Saco, Maine, U.S.A. She is also the Staff Composer for First Church in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Van Ness's work draws upon elements of medieval and Renaissance music. She primarily ...
's ''The Voice of the Tenth Muse'', 1998 *Charles Fussell’s ''Infinite Fraternity'', May 16, 2003 at
Sanders Theatre Memorial Hall, immediately north of Harvard Yard in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is an imposing High Victorian Gothic building honoring Harvard men's sacrifices in defense of the Union during the American Civil War"a symbol of Boston's commitment ...
* David Brunner's ''The Wheel'', 2004 *Patricia Van Ness's ''Requiem'' for baritone, chorus, two violins, viola, cello, bass and oboe, October 31, 2004 *Robert Stern’s “Shofar,” November 5, 2006 at
Sanders Theatre Memorial Hall, immediately north of Harvard Yard in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is an imposing High Victorian Gothic building honoring Harvard men's sacrifices in defense of the Union during the American Civil War"a symbol of Boston's commitment ...
* Fred Onovwerosuoke's “A Triptych of American Voices: A Cantata of the People,” Sunday, March 24, 2019 at
Sanders Theatre Memorial Hall, immediately north of Harvard Yard in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is an imposing High Victorian Gothic building honoring Harvard men's sacrifices in defense of the Union during the American Civil War"a symbol of Boston's commitment ...


Pinkham Award

Since 2008, Coro Allegro has chosen the recipient of the Daniel Pinkham Award, given annually in memory of the acclaimed and beloved Boston composer and conductor.
Daniel Pinkham Daniel Rogers Pinkham Jr. (June 5, 1923 – December 18, 2006) was an American composer, organist, and harpsichordist. Early life and education Born in Lynn, Massachusetts, into a prominent family engaged in the manufacture of patent medicines ( ...
. The award is given annually in recognition of outstanding contributions to classical music and to the LGBTQ+ community. Award recipients are: *
Sanford Sylvan Sanford Sylvan (December 19, 1953 – January 29, 2019) was an American baritone. Biography Sanford Mead Sylvan was born in New York City on December 19, 1953, and grew up in Syosset, New York. Starting at age 13 he participated in the Juillia ...
, 2008 *Bishop
Gene Robinson Vicky Gene Robinson (born May 29, 1947) is a former bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire. Robinson was elected bishop coadjutor in 2003 and succeeded as bishop diocesan in March 2004. Before becoming bishop, he served as Canon to th ...
, 2009 *
Fenwick Smith Fenwick Smith (1949 – July 19, 2017) was an American flutist. He studied under Joseph Mariano at the Eastman School of Music, graduating from there in 1972. Shortly thereafter he became a member of the New England Woodwind Quintet and began a ...
, 2010 *
Patricia Van Ness Patricia Van Ness (born 1951) is an American composer living in Saco, Maine, U.S.A. She is also the Staff Composer for First Church in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Van Ness's work draws upon elements of medieval and Renaissance music. She primarily ...
, 2011 * Donald Teeters, 2012 *
David Hodgkins David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
, 2013 * Laury Gutierrez, 2014 * Lorna Cooke Devaron, 2015 * Janson Wu, 2016 * Catherine Peterson, 2017 * Robin Godfrey, 2018 * Darryl Hollister, 2019


Collaborations

The chorus regularly collaborates with other musical ensembles. Among its most notable collaborations have been performances of Mendelssohn’s ''
Elijah Elijah ( ; he, אֵלִיָּהוּ, ʾĒlīyyāhū, meaning "My God is Yahweh/YHWH"; Greek form: Elias, ''Elías''; syr, ܐܸܠܝܼܵܐ, ''Elyāe''; Arabic: إلياس or إليا, ''Ilyās'' or ''Ilyā''. ) was, according to the Books of ...
'' in 1999 with the
Boston Cecilia The Boston Cecilia is a choral society in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1876, the ensemble has enjoyed historic relationships with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and famous conductors and composers, such as Arthur Fiedler, Igor Stravinsky, and An ...
and the
Handel and Haydn Society The Handel and Haydn Society is an American chorus and period instrument orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. Known colloquially as 'H+H', the organization has been in continual performance since its founding in 1815, the longest-serving suc ...
under the direction of
Christopher Hogwood Christopher Jarvis Haley Hogwood (10 September 194124 September 2014) was an English conductor, harpsichordist, writer, and musicologist. Founder of the early music ensemble the Academy of Ancient Music, he was an authority on historically info ...
; of Robert Kapilow’s baseball cantata, a setting of ''
Casey at the Bat Casey at the Bat is a poem written in 1888 by Ernest Thayer. Casey at the Bat may also refer to: * ''Casey at the Bat'' (1916 film), a film based on the poem * ''Casey at the Bat'' (1927 film), a film based on the poem * ''Casey at the Bat'', an ...
'' for chorus, in 2001 with Boston Musica Viva in collaboration with choreographer Daniel Pelzig for the Celebrity Series of Boston; of Brahms’ ''German Requiem'' in 2003 with Boston Cecilia under the baton of Donald Teeters; of both Poulenc's ''
Gloria Gloria may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Christian liturgy and music * Gloria in excelsis Deo, the Greater Doxology, a hymn of praise * Gloria Patri, the Lesser Doxology, a short hymn of praise ** Gloria (Handel) ** Gloria (Jenkins) ...
'' and Bernstein's ''
Chichester Psalms ''Chichester Psalms'' is an extended choral composition in three movements by Leonard Bernstein for boy treble or countertenor, choir and orchestra. The text was arranged by the composer from the Book of Psalms in the original Hebrew. Part 1 ...
'' in 2004 with Boston Cecilia, the premiere of ''Leaving Limerick in the Rain'' by Pablo Ortiz with the Terezin Music Foundation at Liberation: A Concert Honoring the 70th Anniversary of the Liberation of the Nazi Camps in Boston Symphony Hall, two performances with The Heritage Chorale of New Haven of William Grant Still's ''And They Lynched Him on a Tree,'' the last in 2019, and performances in Boston Common and at the Hatch Shell at the Esplanade with the Boston Landmarks Orchestra. Coro Allegro has also collaborated the Back Bay Ringers, the Boston City Singers, the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus, Chorus Pro Musica, City on a Hill Charter School Chorus, La Donna Musicale, Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra, Rumbarroco, Toronto Children’s Chorus, and the United Parish Chancel Choir.


GALA Choruses festivals

Coro Allegro participates in the quadrennial
GALA Choruses The Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses ("GALA Choruses") is an international association of LGBT choruses founded in 1982. In its inaugural performance 14 choruses performed together in September 1982 in San Francisco as part of the first Gay ...
festival.GALA Choruses
GALA Choruses Member Choruses
, accessed December 15, 2009
*
Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...
, 1996 *
San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popul ...
, 2000 *
Place des Arts Place may refer to: Geography * Place (United States Census Bureau), defined as any concentration of population ** Census-designated place, a populated area lacking its own municipal government * "Place", a type of street or road name ** Often ...
,
Montreal, Quebec Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-pea ...
, 2004 *
Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts The Arsht Center is a performing arts center located in Miami, Florida. It is one of the largest performing arts centers in the United States. The center was partly built on the site of a former Sears department store; an Art Deco building const ...
,
Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
, 2008 *
Denver Performing Arts Complex The Denver Performing Arts Complex (also referred to as the "Arts Complex") is located in Denver, Colorado and is one of the largest performing arts centers in the United States. The DCPA is a four-block, site containing ten performance sp ...
,
Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
, 2012 *
Denver Performing Arts Complex The Denver Performing Arts Complex (also referred to as the "Arts Complex") is located in Denver, Colorado and is one of the largest performing arts centers in the United States. The DCPA is a four-block, site containing ten performance sp ...
,
Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
, 2016


References


External links


Official website
{{authority control American choirs GALA choruses LGBT-themed musical groups Musical groups established in 1990 Musical groups from Boston