The newly minted Apollo Master Chorale pulls together some of the best national and local singers under the artistic direction of Sean Vogt. Tesfa Wondemagegnehu recently attended the choir's recording session and shares his thoughts about the ensemble.
In the world of professional choirs, certain names spring immediately to mind: Kansas City Chorale, Phoenix Chorale, Chanticleer and Conspirare who just won the 2015 Grammy for Best Choral Performance just to name a few.
Bu what about the great state of Minnesota and our land of 10,000 choirs? Enter one Apollo Master Chorale. Newly minted, this choir, under the direction of Artistic Director and Conductor Dr. Sean Vogt, has attracted top talent from professional choirs across the country. With a far-reaching mission, this group seeks to "attract world-class talent, to create world-class art, with world-class collaborations and awareness, in a world-class location." The singers are not only some of the nation's best, but include some of our best local talent. One local singer has already been contracted to sing with South Florida-based pro choir, Seraphic Fire, next season.
I've heard a lot of choirs. What makes Apollo Master Chorale so attractive to me is the spirit and passion of each singer. I got a chance to sit in on the group’s recording session, and it was electric! Watching those singers interact with each other fully engaged, while making music was quite an experience. I left that session so filled and inspired. I hope you'll also inspired by these recordings:
Charles Villiers Stanford, "The Blue Bird"
Orlando di Lasso, "Surgens Iesus"
Jaako Mäntyjärvi, "Pseudo-Yoik"
Dan Forrest, "Good Night, Dear Heart"
You can hear more of the Apollo Master Chorale on Classical MPR on Friday, March 13, from 4:30 to 5 p.m.
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