Community Members Join Baltimore Symphony for Hallelujah! A Community Sing-A-Long, December 9

BSO will audition community singers to perform as soloists for public concert; Sing-Along Chorus to include 400 local singers

Baltimore, Md. (September 30, 2009)-As part of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra's ongoing mission to engage the community, the BSO invites singers ages 14 and older to participate in, "Hallelujah! A Community Sing-A-Long," conducted by Music Director Marin Alsop on Wednesday, December 9 at 7:30 p.m. at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. The public is invited to attend. See below for complete concert details.

This program merges the most popular parts of George Frederic Handel's glorious oratorio, Messiah, and the re-vamped, jazzy version of this classic favorite, Too Hot to Handel: The Gospel Messiah.  For a modest administration fee of $10, participants will sit in the floor orchestra sections of the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall and sing the "Hallelujah Chorus" from the original Handel's Messiah and "Every Valley," "He Shall Feed His Flock," "All We, Like Sheep," and "Hallelujah!" from Too Hot to Handel, accompanied by the Baltimore Symphony. To register, interested singers should visit BSOmusic.org/TooHot. Space is limited to the first 100 registrants for each of the four voice parts and will be allocated on a first-come, first-serve basis. See below for complete registration details.

For this community sing-a-long, local talent will be featured as soloists. All singers interested in performing the solos from the re-envisioned Too Hot to Handel score will audition on Wednesday, November 4, 2009 by appointment. Vocalists who only wish to participate in the community chorus (do not wish to be soloists) do not need to audition but do need to register.  See below for complete registration and audition details.

"Baltimore has such a rich talent pool!" says BSO Music Director Marin Alsop. "This event provides an opportunity for the BSO to tap into that local talent and collaborate with singers in our region—and have a whole lot of fun doing it! Over the years there have been many sing-a-longs to Handel's traditional Messiah, but this event offers an exciting twist because we will also perform several sections from my gospel version called Too Hot to Handel."

About Too Hot to Handel
The New York Post described Too Hot to Handel as "the jazziest, most soulful reinterpretation of Handel's Messiah you'll ever hear." Originally premiered in 1992 at New York City's Avery Fischer Hall, Too Hot to Handel offers audiences a fresh twist on a familiar holiday favorite. Marin Alsop collaborated with Gary Anderson and Bob Christianson to create a revised version of Messiah that broke the traditional bounds of classical music.  Maestra Alsop explains, "We started talking about this idea of re-envisioning Handel's work, such that the DNA of the piece remained the same-the melodies, harmonies, structure and text-however, it is all treated differently. We've expanded the traditional orchestra to include a full rhythm section, gospel piano, electric guitars and a Hammond B-3 jazz organ.  It becomes an active listening experience, when you're allowed to stand up or clap your hands."   

Marin Alsop, conductor
Hailed as one of the world's leading conductors for her artistic vision and commitment to accessibility in classical music, Marin Alsop made history with her appointment as the 12th music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. With her inaugural concerts in September 2007, she became the first woman to head a major American orchestra. She also holds the title of conductor emeritus at the Bournemouth Symphony in the United Kingdom, where she served as the principal conductor from 2002-2008, and is music director of the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music in California.

In 2005, Ms. Alsop was named a MacArthur Fellow, the first conductor ever to receive this prestigious award. In 2007, she was honored with a European Women of Achievement Award, in 2008 she was inducted as a fellow into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and in 2009 Musical America named her "Conductor of the Year."

A regular guest conductor with the New York Philharmonic, The Philadelphia Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra and Los Angeles Philharmonic, Ms. Alsop appears frequently as a guest conductor with the most distinguished orchestras around the world. In addition to her performance activities, she is also an active recording artist with award-winning cycles of Brahms and Barber orchestral works. She is currently recording the Dvorak symphonies with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.

Marin Alsop attended Yale University and received her master's degree from The Juilliard School. In 1989, her conducting career was launched when she won the Leopold Stokowski International Conducting Competition in New York.


"Hallelujah! A Community Sing-A-Long" REGISTRATION DETAILS:

TO REGISTER FOR COMMUNITY CHORUS:
• Singers age 14 and older must register online at BSOmusic.org/TooHot by Friday, November 13th. Space is limited to the first 100 registrants for each of the four voice parts and will be allocated on a first-come, first-serve basis-so register early to guarantee a spot!

• Once the participant registers, their participation will be confirmed by late October via email and a password for the website will be sent to them in order to download the music.

• Singers MUST attend the dress rehearsal prior to the concert, on the evening of December 9th.  (Please note that this is a change from the original announcement.)

• Singers must download a waiver found at BSOmusic.org/TooHot and bring a signed copy of it to rehearsal with their $10 registration fee (checks payable to the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, in the Memo line, write "Too Hot").

TO AUDITION AS A SOLOIST:
• Singers auditioning as soloists must register online at BSOmusic.org/TooHot by Monday, November 2, 2009. Auditions will take place by appointment on Wednesday, November 4, 2009. (You will receive an email or phone call with your audition time assignment.) If you are not selected as a soloist after auditioning, please indicate if you would like to be registered to perform with the community choir.

• Auditioning soloists MUST attend two coaching sessions at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall prior to the concert at a day/time still to be determined, as well as be available for the community chorus rehearsals that take place before the concert.

• Singers must download a waiver found at BSOmusic.org/TooHot and bring a signed copy of it to the audition with their $10 registration fee (checks payable to the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, in the Memo line, write "Too Hot").

• Prior to the audition, aspiring soloists will be emailed a short section of music from Too Hot to Handel or can pick up music at the BSO Ticket Office. (See BSOmusic.org for office hours.) Singers will be asked to sing the following at the audition:
  1.  Male Voice (Tenor): All We Like Sheep (Too Hot to Handel version)
       Female Voice: He Shall Feed His Flock  (Too Hot to Handel version)
  2.  An a capella song of his or her choice.

• Soloists will not be compensated for their performance.

COMPLETE CONCERT DETAILS
Hallelujah! A Community Sing-A-Long
Wednesday, December 9, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. - Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall

Tickets for these concerts will be available for purchase beginning November 2, 2009 through the BSO Ticket Office, 877.BSO.1444, 410.783.8000 or BSOmusic.org.