Eugene Concert Choir is a choral masterworks organization in Eugene,

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

, that consists of three performing ensembles: the 100-voice Eugene Concert Choir (ECC), the 36-voice chamber choir Eugene Vocal Arts (EVA), and the associated professional chamber orchestra Eugene Concert Orchestra.

Description

Described from its beginnings in the 1980s by the Eugene Register Guard as "Community enterprise at its best," the organization is a resident company of the

Hult Center for the Performing Arts The Hult Center for the Performing Arts is a performing arts venue in Eugene, Oregon. The Hult Center is located downtown on Willamette Street between 6th & 7th Avenues, adjacent to the Graduate Eugene (previously Hilton Eugene) and Conference ...

, which is the primary performance venue for the choirs. Eugene Vocal Arts also regularly performs at

The University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, bill ...

's Beall Concert Hall. Community and educational outreach is an important element in the organization and the Eugene Concert Choir Outreach program annually reaches 1,000+ children through in-school presentations. Diane Retallack has been the artistic director and Conductor since 1985. The Eugene Concert Choir organization is a

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of ...

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

organization governed by a board of directors, and its mission is "to engage, inspire and enrich the community through performance of choral masterworks, diverse artistic experiences, and educational outreach." Touring choirs from the organization have performed in Australia, China, Europe, and

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th and 57th Streets. Designed by architect William Burnet Tuthill and built ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. The Eugene Concert Choir commissioned a choral masterwork entitled ''Shadow and Light: An Alzheimer's Journey in 16 Movements'' by Portland composer

Joan Szymko Joan Szymko (born 1957) is an American choral conductor, music educator and composer. She was born in Chicago and studied choral conducting and music education at the University of Illinois at Urbana, graduating in 1978. She settled in Seattle, W ...

. The premiere performances were April 6 and 8, 2016 by the Eugene Vocal Arts and the newly formed Eugene Concert Orchestra, three soloists and speaker. The recording of ''Shadow and Light'' was awarded the American Prize Ernst Bacon Award for Recorded Music, Community Division, in 2016. The video documentary by AO Films entitled ''The Story of Shadow and Light: Giving Voice to an Alzheimer's Journey'' won Best Documentary in the 2017 Oregon Independent Film Festival.

Repertoire

Eugene Concert Choir

The Eugene Concert Choir is a mixed-voice adult volunteer chorus which focuses on performing choral masterworks. Highlights of past masterworks performances include: *

Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...

: ''Missa Solemnis, Op.''; ''Mass in C, Op.'' *

Hector Berlioz In Greek mythology, Hector (; grc, Ἕκτωρ, Hektōr, label=none, ) is a character in Homer's Iliad. He was a Trojan prince and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. Hector led the Trojans and their allies in the defense o ...

: ''Requiem, Op.'' *

Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped wit ...

: ''Ein Deutsches Requiem, Op.'' ; ''Schicksalslied, Op.'' *

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976, aged 63) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, other ...

: ''War Requiem, Op.'' *

Anton Bruckner Josef Anton Bruckner (; 4 September 182411 October 1896) was an Austrian composer, organist, and music theorist best known for his symphonies, masses, Te Deum and motets. The first are considered emblematic of the final stage of Austro-Ger ...

: ''E Minor Mass'', ''Op''. *

Antonio Estévez Antonio José Estévez Aponte (January 3, 1916 in Calabozo (Guárico) – November 26, 1988 in Caracas Caracas (, ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as CCS, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center o ...

: ''Cantata Criolla'' *

Gabriel Fauré Gabriel Urbain Fauré (; 12 May 1845 – 4 November 1924) was a French composer, organist, pianist and teacher. He was one of the foremost French composers of his generation, and his musical style influenced many 20th-century composers ...

: ''Requiem, Op.'' *

Charles Gounod Charles-François Gounod (; ; 17 June 181818 October 1893), usually known as Charles Gounod, was a French composer. He wrote twelve operas, of which the most popular has always been ''Faust (opera), Faust'' (1859); his ''Roméo et Juliette'' (18 ...

: ''St. Cecilia Mass, Op.'' * G. F. Handel: ''Messiah, Op.'' ; ''Dettingen Te Deum, Op.'' *

Franz Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions to musical form have led ...

: ''The Creation, Lord Nelson Mass, Mass in Time of War'' * Zoltan Kodaly: ''Te Deum, Op.'' *Kuljeric: ''Missa, Op.'' *

Felix Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), born and widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions include sym ...

: ''Die erste Walpurgisnacht,'' ''Op''.(In collaboration with the

Eugene Ballet Eugene Ballet is an American ballet company based in Eugene, Oregon. A resident company of the Hult Center for the Performing Arts, it performs a repertoire of full-length classical ballets, and operates a ballet academy. For more than 20 years, ...

) * W. A. Mozart: ''Requiem, Op.'' ; ''Grand Mass in C Minor, Op.'' ; ''Vespers, Op.'' (date); ''Coronation Mass, Op.'' *

Carl Orff Carl Orff (; 10 July 1895 – 29 March 1982) was a German composer and music educator, best known for his cantata '' Carmina Burana'' (1937). The concepts of his Schulwerk were influential for children's music education. Life Early life Carl ...

: ''Carmina Burana, Op.''(In collaboration with the Eugene Ballet) *

Giacomo Puccini Giacomo Puccini ( Lucca, 22 December 1858Bruxelles, 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he was descended from a long ...

: ''Messa di Gloria, Op.'' * Ariel Ramirez: ''Misa Criolla'' *

Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century clas ...

: ''A Symphony of Psalms, Op.'', ''Les Noces, Op.'' (In collaboration with the Eugene Ballet) *

Ralph Vaughan Williams Ralph Vaughan Williams, (; 12 October 1872– 26 August 1958) was an English composer. His works include operas, ballets, chamber music, secular and religious vocal pieces and orchestral compositions including nine symphonies, written over ...

: ''Dona Nobis Pacem, Op.'' The Eugene Concert Choir has performed numerous smaller works and excerpts of major works, and the complete opera, ''Amahl and the Night Visitors'' by

Gian Carlo Menotti Gian Carlo Menotti (, ; July 7, 1911 – February 1, 2007) was an Italian composer, librettist, director, and playwright who is primarily known for his output of 25 operas. Although he often referred to himself as an American composer, he kept ...

(date). The Eugene Concert Choir also lightens the concert season by presenting more popular fare. Past performances have included shows titled ''American Style, The Big Bands Era, Hot Latin Nights, The British Invasion, The Best of Broadway, and Jazz, Gospel & Motown.'' These popular presentations were original musical revues created by Artistic Director Diane Retallack. The first of these popular creations was ''20th Century America in Revue'', inspired by a review of music in America for the millennium celebration in the year 2000. The most ambitious original creation was a fully staged musical, ''A Dickens of a Christmas'', based on Charles Dickens’ ''A Christmas Carol'', performed at the Hult Center in 2015 and reprised in December 2018. Diane Retallack joined with DJ Prashant Kakad for the collaborative creation of an original musical titled ''A Bollywood Dream'', performed by the Eugene Concert Choir and Prashant Kakad’s organization Bollywood Dreams in April of 2018.

Eugene Vocal Arts

Eugene Vocal Arts performs works appropriate for a select chamber choir, from the Renaissance to the present. Recent repertoire has included an element of social significance. Eugene Vocal Arts performed the world premiere of the commissioned work ''Shadow and Light''; ''An Alzheimer’s Journey in 16 Movements'' by Oregon composer Joan Szymko in April of 2016. Their spring concert in 2019, ''The Peace of Wild Things'', focused on contemporary choral music to heighten awareness of our precious natural world and reflect on what “Earth Day” means to us and to future generations. The 2019–2020 season will include ''The Unarmed Child'', composer Michael Bussewitz-Quarm's response to gun violence against children, and a concert titled ''In Celebration of Women'', to mark the 100th anniversary of women's right to vote. From 1990 to 1999, the Eugene Vocal Arts ensemble presented English Madrigal Dinners in elaborate Elizabethan attire. They revived the English Madrigal Dinner in date --, later moving the event to the spring for a MayFest dinner for two years. The Ensemble continues to perform Renaissance repertoire in authentic Elizabethan dress in concert presentations. Works performed with orchestra include: *

C. P. E. Bach Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (8 March 1714 – 14 December 1788), also formerly spelled Karl Philipp Emmanuel Bach, and commonly abbreviated C. P. E. Bach, was a German Classical period musician and composer, the fifth child and sec ...

: ''Magnificat'' * J. S. Bach: ''Lobet den Herrn'' * G. F. Handel: ''Dettingen te Deum; Dixit Dominus'' * F. J. Haydn: ''St. Cecilia; Lord Nelson Mass'' *

Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wo ...

: ''Mass in A-flat'' *

: ''Shadow and Light'' *

Antonio Vivaldi Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist and impresario of Baroque music. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lifetime was widespread ...

: ''Gloria; Magnificat''

Eugene Concert Orchestra

The Eugene Concert Orchestra, the professional orchestra of the Eugene Concert Choir organization, has primarily assisted the Eugene Vocal Arts and the Eugene Concert Choir in the choral-orchestral works performed with the organization from its debut concert in fall of 2015 with the Haydn St. ''Cecilia Mass''. Occasionally the orchestra is featured in orchestral repertoire alone and has performed the Albinoni ''Adagio'' and Pachelbel's ''Canon''.

History

The Eugene Concert Choir was founded as the Eugene Community Chorus under the direction of Philip Bayles, who brought the singers together for a read-through of Handel's ''Messiah'' in April 1974. The singers organized themselves into a continuing ensemble, elected officers, and continued to perform with Philip Bayles as their director and conductor through the 1981–82 season. Paul Westlund was hired as artistic director for the 1982–83 season, and Peter Jermihov became director for the following two seasons. Diane Retallack was hired as artistic director and Conductor at the start of the 1985–86 season and has continued in that position to the present. In 1986, she founded the Eugene Vocal Arts Ensemble (frequently referred to as simply Eugene Vocal Arts) as a chamber choir within the Eugene Concert Choir organization. At the start of Retallack's tenure, the Eugene Concert Choir hired the

Oregon Mozart Players Oregon Mozart Players is a professional chamber orchestra based in Eugene, Oregon, United States. The orchestra presents five concert sets in a typical season, in addition to numerous small ensemble performances and recitals by guest artists. Orc ...

to be their partner orchestra for most of their concerts, occasionally hiring the Eugene Symphony Orchestra for larger works. The Eugene Concert Orchestra was formed in 2015 as a part of the Eugene Concert Choir organization in response to the needs for the ''Shadow and Light'' recording project, and has continued as the orchestra of the organization, performing with both choirs.

Personnel

* Artistic and

executive director Executive director is commonly the title of the chief executive officer of a non-profit organization, government agency or international organization. The title is widely used in North American and European not-for-profit organizations, though ...

: Diane Retallack * General manager: Angela Egremont * Marketing and public relations director: Elizabeth Wells * Music education director: Jill Switzer * Orchestra and personnel manager: Colleen White * Payroll and reconciliation: Chris Vold The organization is also served by a

board of directors A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit orga ...

and many

volunteer Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...

Discography

* ''Holiday Joy'', a collection of Christmas songs, as well as excerpts from Handel's ''Messiah'' * ''American Spirit'', an exploration of the wide variety of musical styles of 20th-century composers and arrangers from North America * ''A Celtic Christmas'', featuring

's ''

A Ceremony of Carols ''A Ceremony of Carols,'' Op. 28, is an extended choral composition for Christmas by Benjamin Britten scored for three-part treble chorus, solo voices, and harp. The text, structured in eleven movements, is taken from ''The English Galaxy of Sh ...

'' along with Celtic Christmas songs performed with the ''Willis Clan'' *
Shadow and Light
', a masterwork commissioned by the Eugene Concert Choir, composed by

and performed by Eugene Vocal Arts and Eugene Concert Orchestra. This work gives voice to the challenges, courage and loving acceptance of people affected by Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. The DVD/CD set includes the concert and video documentary DVD as well as the audio recording CD of
Shadow and Light
'.