Tour Information
The New York Choral Society first became “ambassadors of music” in 1984 and has since produced many tours to Italy, Austria, China, France, Israel, Mexico, Croatia, Greece and the Czech Republic.
Our main lessons learned are first, that everyone around the world loves American spirituals (and other American music such as Gershwin and Bernstein), and second, that singing the native music of a country is beloved by audiences. For example, singing the Chinese popular song Da Hai (“The Sea”) made the biggest hit in Beijing.
In 2012, the New York Choral Society is planning a tour to Sicily. Dates are June 29 through July 7; if you would like to join us (as a singer, non-singing participant, or supporter), please contact us at info@nychoral.org.
Below are some highlights of past New York Choral Society tours, in reverse chronological order:""
2011
The NYCS was invited to return to Mexico City in August 2011 to join the Orquesta Sinfónica de Minería (OSM) and several Mexican and American choruses for the spectacular conclusion of a two-year Mahler project with three performances of the Mahler Eighth, or “Symphony of a Thousand.” Through the support of Fomento Educacional, A.C. thirty singers from the NYCS were able to take advantage of this exciting invitation. Fomento Educacional’s mission to promote cultural exchange between Mexico and the United States helps support the NYCS’s goal to be “ambassadors of music” for New York City around the world.
2010
In mid-July 2010 the New York Choral Society embarked on an exciting and ambitious project to perform and record Gustav Mahler's Second Symphony, or “Resurrection,” in Mexico City. These performances were part of the two—year Mahler project of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Minería (OSM), Carlos Miguel Prieto, music director (a 2009 Grammy nominee). In 2010 and 2011 all the Mahler symphonies will be performed and recorded by Maestro Prieto and the OSM in the spectacular 2,000—seat Sala Nezahualcóyotl on the campus of Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México—a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Two thousand ten was an ideal year to visit Mexico as the country celebrated both the bicentennial of its independence from Spain and the centennial of the Revolution of 1910, and during this important anniversary year all OSM concerts featured music of Mexican composers. The NYCS performances of the “Resurrection” Symphony on July 15, 17, and 18, 2010, also included choral works of the renowned Mexican composer Carlos Chávez, La Paloma Azúl and A! Fredome, conducted by John Daly Goodwin, music director of the NYCS.
2008
From June 20 to 30, the chorus traveled to Beijing at the invitation of the Chinese Ministry of Culture and the China Performing Arts Agency to perform three concerts in the Olympic Cultural Festival in Beijing and the coastal city of Qingdao. Performances included Itaipù by Philip Glass, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, and a selection of traditional Chinese folk songs.
2006
The chorus toured Venice from June 28 to July 9. Performances included four a capella motets at a noon Mass in San Marco, and an orchestra concert with the Collegium Ducale Orchestra in the Church of Saint Steven (Chiesa di Santo Stefano). The repertoire included the Mozart Mass in C minor, Stravinsky’s Three Sacred Choruses, and a selection of spirituals arranged by Robert De Cormier.
An Italian newspaper included the following review:
- Vivo successo ha registrato il concerto che si é svolto ieri sera nella chiesa di S. Stefano e che ha visto protagonisti l’Orchestra Collegium Ducale e la New York Choral Society dal Maestro John Daly Goodwin. Per il 250 della nascita di Mozart é stata eseguita la Messa in do minore K427 con la partecipazione dei solisti: Bernadette Fiorella, Carla Cenacchi, soprano, del tenore Luca Favaron e del basso Claudio Zancopé.
Translated, the review reads:
- The concert which took place last night in Santo Stefano Church with the Collegium Ducale Orchestra and the New York Choral Society, conducted by Maestro John Daly Goodwin, was a great success. For the 250th anniversary of the birth of Mozart, they performed the Mass in C Minor, K427 with the participation of soloists: Bernadette Fiorella, Carla Cenacchi, soprano, tenor Luca Favaron and bass Claudio Zancope.
2005
A small group of 18 singers traveled to Shanghai to participate in a performance of Mendelssohn’s Elijah. This was part of a symposium to internationalize choral singing in China. NYCS sang with students from the Shanghai Conservatory and the chorus of the Shanghai Opera. The orchestra was the Shanghai Opera Orchestra. The role of Elijah was sung by the Metropolitan Opera baritone, Tian Hao Jin. The tour was sponsored by the Committee of 100.
2004
NYCS toured France, appearing at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, the Flâneries Musicale d'Été in Reims and at Chartres Cathedral. At the latter two venues, NYCS appeared with the Orchestre Bell’Arte of Paris in Mozart’s Mass in C minor, Lauridsen’s Lux Aeterna, and a spiritual.
2002
A huge opportunity! Based on the tour of China in 2001 (see below), NYCS was invited to Shanghai and the Beijing Music Festival for two concerts: the first included Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess Suite, and NYCS was also invited to participate with six other choruses in the China premiere of Mahler’s gigantic Symphony No. 8. For the latter, the China Philharmonic joined with the Shanghai Broadcasting Symphony Orchestra to form an orchestra of 180. The chorus numbered about 800, with the cutest children's chorus you could imagine, all of whom had their part memorized. This tour was funded in its entirety by Prudential Financial Corp. and the Beijing Music Festival.
2001
NYCS’s first tour to China, with 150 singers and nearly 140 guests, was a joint effort with the Hartford Chorale. The chorus sang an all-American program in Beijing (Copland, Bernstein) accompanied by the National Film Orchestra of China. The chorus then traveled to Shanghai for a performance of the Verdi Requiem and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Shanghai Broadcasting Symphony Orchestra.
1998
NYCS traveled to the Czech Republic and Greece, appearing again at the Santorini Music Festival. The repertoire in Prague included Otce Nas by Leoš Janáček and a Haydn mass. Also on the program were selections from Guys and Dolls—a big hit in Greece.
1995
NYCS members were participants in the Zimriya Festival of Choirs in Jerusalem, Israel. In the Sherover Theater, the chorus sang a program of Philip Glass, Morton Gould and Aaron Copland and also appeared at the Mann Theater in Tel Aviv, with orchestra, singing Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, and at a moshav near Haifa.
1991
NYCS toured to Eisenstadt, Vienna and Salzburg, Austria. This was the bicentennial of Mozart’s death. In Eisenstadt, where Haydn worked for many years, the chorus performed his Theresienmesse and Mozart’s Thamos, Re di Creta. In Salzburg, NYCS sang Mozart choruses in the Salzburg Cathedral.
1987
NYCS toured to what was then Yugoslavia (now Croatia) and to Greece, where the chorus appeared at the Santorini Music Festival. The repertoire was the African mass, Missa Luba, parts of the Haydn Harmoniemesse and folk songs from around the world. NYCS performed at Dubrovnik, Hvar and on the island of Santorini.
1985
The NYCS toured in Greece and Turkey.
1984
The first NYCS tour was to Greece