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Chorus of Westerly to Host Music at Ogontz Choral Symposia in New Hampshire's White Mountains

LYMAN, NH: Since 1990 the Chorus of Westerly, Rhode Island has hosted Music at Ogontz, an annual Choral Symposium with renowned British choral conductor Sir David Willcocks. This year continues the tradition with two weeklong symposia with internationally-acclaimed conductors and voice teachers in the White Mountains of New Hampshire from July 12 through 25, 2008. Music at Ogontz provides an extraordinary opportunity for singers, church musicians and choral conductors to work on repertoire and choral interpretation in an intimate and unspoiled retreat at Camp Ogontz in Lyman, New Hampshire. For information or to register, contact (401) 596-8663 or visit www.chorusofwesterly.org. 

The first session, July 12-18, will be directed by Richard Marlow and will focus on Tallis’s The Lamentations of Jeremiah, Scarlatti’s Stabat Mater, J.C. Bach’s Wachet auf and Walton’s Cantico del Sole. Richard Marlow is the director emeritus of the acclaimed Trinity College Choir, Cambridge, England. He was at Trinity College from 1968 until this past year as Fellow and Director of Music at Trinity College and lecturer on the University Music Faculty. The Choir of Trinity College has produced numerous commercial recordings, and has broadcast frequently for the BBC. The Choir has also toured widely in England, Europe, the Far East and the United States and Canada. Mezzo-soprano Freda Herseth, Associate Professor of Voice and Chair of the Voice Department at the University of Michigan, is also on the faculty and will work with participants on vocal technique, tone production and breathing through daily vocal workshops and master classes.

The second session this summer, directed by Sir David Willcocks, will take place July 19-25. Sir David will present a wide selection of major choral works by composers including Vespers – Solemn Confessor (Mozart), Mass in Time of War (Haydn), Messiah (Handel), Cantata No. 50 Nun Ist Das Heil (Bach) and Requiem (Rutter) through daily rehearsals and evening read-throughs. In addition, participants will work from 100 Carols for Choir. Sir David Willcocks is the former director of the Royal College of Music in London, the King's College Chapel Choir in Cambridge, and the Bach Choir in London. He has also been General Editor at Oxford University Press for many years, is a composer of note, and is in demand throughout the world as a lecturer and guest conductor. Sir David Willcocks will be joined by Canadian mezzo-soprano Paula Rockwell. Ms. Rockwell will offer daily sessions on vocal technique as well as daily master classes.

Both symposia include daily vocal workshops, rehearsals and leisure activities at Camp Ogontz, a magnificent 300-acre facility in the White Mountains. Camp Ogontz offers rustic log-cabin accommodations, home-cooked meals, tennis, swimming and boating on a secluded lake, hiking trails, and spectacular mountain views. On Wednesday of each week, July 16 and 23, vocal recitals featuring Freda Herseth and Paula Rockwell respectively will be presented at Camp Ogontz. These recitals are open to the public.

The Chorus of Westerly was founded in 1959 by Music Director George Kent. The 200-voice Chorus includes adults and children, ages 8 to 80, from nearly 30 communities in southern New England. The Chorus performs works from throughout the history of choral literature, including seven U.S. premieres, and has toured through Italy and twice to England, most recently during the summer of 1995. The Chorus has been the recipient of the Arts and Business Council of Rhode Island's Jabez Gorham Award. The RI Council has also recognized Music Director George Kent with their Individual Achievement Award in 2004, and the New England Conservatory presented him with the 2003 Outstanding Alumni Award. Mr. Kent has also received the prestigious Rhode Island Pell Award for excellence in the arts.

The Chorus of Westerly’s Music at Ogontz Choral Symposia take place July 12-18 and July 19-25 at Camp Ogontz in Lyman, NH. For registration materials and further information contact the Chorus of Westerly, 119 High Street, Westerly, RI 02891, (401) 596-8663. Information may also be found at www.chorusofwesterly.org.