From: mgresham@dscatl.UUCP (Mark Gresham)
Newsgroups: rec.music.classical
Subject: Re: recommandation for good performances of choral works.
Date: 10 Sep 92 00:24:18 GMT
Expires: 31 Dec 69 23:59:59 GMT
Reply-To: mgresham@dscatl.UUCP (Mark Gresham)
Organization: Digital Systems Co,  Atlanta, Ga

In article <Bu8nLI.9An@mentor.cc.purdue.edu> dmnhieu@riemann.math.purdue.edu (Duy-Minh NHIEU) writes:
>Hello world:
>
>   If I were to study performances on choral music (ie: What constitute a good
>choir/or choral group?), and I want to go by examples, what would
>you recommand?(I list here a list of some group that I know of,
>please add to it and/or correct me if I am wrong)
>
>     big groups:  The King's college choir
>                  The Cambridge singers (John Rutter)
>                  The Montevedi choir (together with the English Baroque
>                                       soloist, conducted by John Elliot 
>                                       Gardiner)
>
>                  The Robert Shaw choral

The Robert Shaw Chorale hasn't been in existence for some time.
There are a number of recordings now of Robert Shaw conducting the
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, and most recently
there is the new Robert Shaw Festival Singers.

>                  The Westminster choir.
>
>    small groups:
>            
>                  The kings' singers

Um, I think you' have quite a bit of discovery ahead of you.

*****SHAMELESS PLUG AHEAD*****
I edit a monthly choral music publication called "Chorus!"
(for those of you who don't know already).  We also have a
CATALOG of CHORAL RECORDINGS, many of which are not available
through record stores (private labels, small labels) yet which
have repertoire unavailable on major labels.  (We don't ccarry
major lablels.)
  The new catalog is going to press soon, and you can ask for a
copy (FREE!) by e-mailing to:

 dscatl!chorus@gatech.edu
or
  dscatl!chorus@emory.edu

the above addressing makes it easier for systems that can't find
'dscatl' right away.  For old style UUCP, end the path with:

gatech!dscatl!chorus  or emory!dscatl!chorus

*****END OF SHAMELESS PLUG*****

Now...to answer:  regarding 'small', 'mid-sized' and 'large' groups.
I would consider a small group under 35 singers (a chamber choir),
a large group as being *at least* 80, but better around 120 singers
to 200 singers.  Then there are "massed choirs" (around 800
sometimes; rare occasions even larger) which happen at special
outdoor festivals.  Once you get to fewer than 12 singers,
you'd best call them a "vocal ensemble."

How big of a list of choruses could I give you?  (How big of a
file do you want? :-))

Here is a modest list of some North American groups worth
listening to:

[chorus (director) state/province]

American Boychoir (James Litton) NJ
Ascension Music Chorus and Orchestra (Dennis Keene) NY
Chanticleer (Louis Botto, art. dir.) CA
Chicago Symphony Chorus (Margaret Hillis, just retired) IL
The Desert Chorale (Larry Bandfield) NM
The William Ferris Chorale (William Ferris) IL
Gwinnett Festival Singers (William O. Baker) GA
The Paul Hill Chorale (Paul Hill) DC
Houston Symphony Chorus (Charles Hausmann) TX
Elmer Iseler Singers (Elmer Eisler) ON Canada
Los Angeles Master Chorale (Paul Salamonovich) CA
Melodious Accord (Alice Parker) NY
Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh (Robert Page) PA
Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia (Alan Harler) PA
Milwaukee Symphony Chorus (Margaret Hawkins) WI
National Lutheran Choir (Larry Fleming) MN
New Your Concert Singers (Judy Clearman) NY
Robert Page Singers (Robert Page) OH
Phoenix Bach Choir (Jon Washburn) AZ
  [newly appointed, will still do post in Vancouver]
Plymouth Music Series Chorus and Orchestra (Philip Brunelle) MN
Salt Lake Mormon Tabernacle Choir (Gerald Ottley) UT
  [couldn't possibly leave them out!]
Robert Shaw Festival Singers (Robert Shaw) GA
Gregg Smith Singers (Gregg Smith) NY
Soli Deo Gloria Cantorum (Almeda Berkey) NE
  [yes, wife of Jackson Berkey of Mannheim Steamroller fame]
Vancouver Chamber Choir (Jon Washburn) BC Canada
Dale Warland Singers (Dale Warland) MN
The Western Wind Vocal Ensemble () NY

I haven't mentioned a number of groups worthy of it,
including professional groups, community choruses,
symphonic choruses, many college choruses and glee clubs,
and a bundle of children's choirs (except for the American
Boychoir).  Nor have I mentioned the many church related ensembles
(except for Ascension Music and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir)
of excellent quality.

(To give you an idea, we recently got a directory of over 300
choruses in the San Francisco Bay area alone.)

Cheers,

--Mark Gresham

dscatl!mgresham@gatech.edu

==========================
From: rms@hpgrla.gr.hp.com (Rick Scherer)
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1992 20:19:11 GMT
Subject: Re: Sibelius 2nd
Organization: Hewlett-Packard, Greeley, CO