Ravinia 2019, Issue 7, Week 14

CONSPIRARE Established in Austin, TX, in 1991, Conspirare, which translates from Latin as “to breathe to- gether,” is a Grammy-winning and internation- ally recognized choir led by founder and artistic director Craig Hella Johnson that comprises soloists from around the country. Conspirare’s extensive discography includes 13 commercial albums, many on the Harmonia Mundi label, and 19 self-produced live albums. The 2014 disc The Sacred Spirit of Russia won the Grammy for Best Choral Performance. The choir’s commit- ment to new music and willingness to showcase a broad repertory has been highlighted since its first recording in 2004, Through the Green Fuse , which featured a Gaelic hymn, African-Amer- ican spirituals, and works by Sibelius, Stephen Foster, and Eric Whitacre, among others. Requi- em (works by Howells, Whitacre, and Pizzetti) followed in 2006 and received two Grammy nominations. In 2008, Threshold of Night (music by Tarik O’Regan) also received two nomina- tions, including Best Classical Album. The 2009 PBS television special A Company of Voices: Conspirare in Concert received a Grammy nom- ination for Best Classical Crossover, and Pablo Neruda: The Poet Sings was nominated for Best Choral Performance in 2016. Harmonia Mundi’s re-release of Requiem in 2009 won the Nether- lands’ 2010 Edison Award, and Conspirare was honored again in 2015 when Path of Miracles was awarded the German Record Critics Prize for choral music. The choir’s 2016 recording of Johnson’s Considering Matthew Shepard debuted at number four on Billboard ’s Traditional Classi- cal chart and received a Grammy nomination. Conspirare toured the work nationally, includ- ing to Ravinia, in 2018 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Matthew Shepard’s death. The ensemble’s most recent recording, The Hope of Loving , features works by Jake Runestad and was released last month. Conspirare was award- ed the Texas Medal of Arts earlier this year. Con- spirare also consists of Conspirare Symphonic Choir, boasting more than 100 auditioned vol- unteer voices, and Conspirare Youth Choirs, an educational program for singers in 2nd through 12th grades. SOPRANO Mela Sarajane Dailey – Austin, TX Kemper Florin – Chicago, IL Melissa Givens – Claremont, CA Gitanjali Mathur – Austin, TX Stefanie Moore – Los Angeles, CA Fotina Naumenko – Washington, DC Kathlene Ritch – Santa Fe, NM Sonja Tengblad – Boston, MA Shari Wilson – Austin, TX ALTO Ana Baida – Atlanta, GA Sarah Brauer – Portland, OR Janet Carlsen Campbell – Omaha, NE Tynan Davis – New York, NY Lauren McAllister – Cincinnati, OH Laura Mercado-Wright – Austin, TX Keely J. Rhodes – Aiken, SC TENOR Matt Alber – Portland, OR Dann Coakwell – Ithaca, NY Zach Finkelstein – Seattle, WA Carr Hornbuckle – San Antonio, TX David Kurtenbach – San Francisco, CA Jos Milton – Oxford, MS Wilson Nichols – New York, NY Jason Vest – Cincinnati, OH BASS Simon Barrad – San Francisco, CA Charles Wesley Evans – Wallingford, CT Rick Gabrillo – Round Rock, TX Robert Harlan – Austin, TX Harris Ipock – Granville, OH Tim O’Brien – Austin, TX John Proft – Austin, TX Paul Max Tipton – Boston, MA INSTRUMENTALISTS Stephen Redfield, violin – Hattiesburg, MS Ames Asbell, viola – Austin, TX Douglas Harvey, cello – Austin, TX Jessica Valls, double bass – Austin, TX Vanguel Tangarov, clarinet – Austin, TX Thomas Burritt, percussion – Leander, TX Mitch Watkins, guitar – Austin, TX “ALL OF US” CHOIR Assembled by Andrew Dahan, Highland Park High School Choral Director PRODUCTION TEAM Robert Harlan, technical director Viera Buzgova, stage manager Rod Caspers, co-producer & stage director Elliott Forrest, projection designer Will Pearson, assistant stage manager Randall Squires and Connor Goodrum (Nomad Sound), audio CONSPIRARE STAFF Craig Hella Johnson, Artistic Director Ann McNair, Managing Director Scott Dinger, Development Specialist Rick Gabrillo, Associate Conductor Sam Henderson, Concierge and Office Manager Natalie Howard, Conspirare Youth Choirs Manager Ben R. King, Executive Assistant for Special Projects Meri Krueger, Artist Relations Jaime Leighton, Production Administrator & Webmaster Kathy Leighton, House Manager Jane Ramirez, Business Manager Nina Revering, Conspirare Youth Choirs Director Nathan Thompson, Production Assistant Anarra Whitcher, Production Intern CREATIVE CONTRIBUTORS: Michael Dennis Browne, poet and co-librettist Michael Dennis Browne’s latest collection of poems is Chimes , published in 2017 by Nodin Press. His poems have been published in many magazines and anthologies, and his honors include fellowships from the National Endow- ment for the Arts and the Bush Foundation. As a librettist, he has written many texts for music, working for almost four decades with composer Stephen Paulus. Their post-Holocaust oratorio, To Be Certain of the Dawn , was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in Music by the Minnesota Orchestra. Browne is a professor emeritus of English at the University of Minnesota, where he taught for 39 years and was a member of the Academy of Distinguished Teachers. His most recent book, Build Me a Boat: Words for Music 1968–2018 , will be published by Carnegie Mel- lon University Press later this year. Lesléa Newman, poet Lesléa Newman is the author of 70 books for readers of all ages, including the children’s books Heather Has Two Mommies and Ketzel, The Cat Who Composed , the poetry collections I Carry My Mother and Lovely , and the short story col- lection A Letter to Harvey Milk , which was re- cently adapted for musical theater. Newman, a former poet laureate of Northampton, MA, has received poetry fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Massachusetts Artists Foundation. She teaches at Spalding University’s low-residency MFA in Writing pro- gram. Her book October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard received an American Library Association Stonewall Honor and the Florida Council Teachers of English Joan F. Kaywell Books Save Lives Award. Newman works close- ly with the Matthew Shepard Foundation as a member of its speakers bureau. She has visited schools all over the country giving her presen- tation “He Continues to Make a Difference: The Story of Matthew Shepard.” RAVINIA MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER 3 – SEPTEMBER 15, 2019 114