Dearborn's Vanguard Voices to Premiere 5 New Choral Pieces

This article was posted by Daniel Lai. It was written and reported by the Dearborn Recreation and Parks Department.

Vanguard Voices, directed by G. Kevin Dewey, will present its “Vanguard Premieres” concert on June 9 at 4 p.m. at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center in Dearborn.

The concert will feature two winning and three honorable mention compositions from the fifth Vanguard Premieres choral composition contest, which received 106 entries from composers of 15 nationalities and 11 different countries. 

The winning compositions are The Last Invocationby Scott Gendel (Virginia), and Glorify! by Roydon Tse (Canada). Honorable mention compositions were submitted by Jack Ballard of Ohio, Sam Ritter of Tennessee, and Erin Tomkins of Kansas.

Gendel is a freelance musician whose activities include composing and arranging new works on commission, acting as a vocal coach and accompanist for professional opera companies and students, and serving as music director and pianist for theatrical productions.

As a collaborative pianist, Gendel has performed a wide range of repertoire, including performances with the Madison Symphony Orchestra, a featured performance with the University of Wisconsin-Madison Symphony Orchestra in Stravinsky’s Petrouchka, and recitals with faculty members at various colleges. He is the official staff accompanist for Madison Opera, and has worked as a rehearsal pianist for Opera North and the UW-Madison Opera program.

Tse is currently a Bachelor of Music student at the University of British Columbia studying composition and piano. Originally from Hong Kong, he began his musical studies at a young age with piano and violin lessons. Tse's talent was recognized when, at age 13, he was awarded a major music scholarship for study in the United Kingdom at Eastbourne College, an independent boarding school.

His music has since been performed by the UBC Contemporary players, Land’s End Chamber Ensemble, the Slide Rule Trombone Choir, the Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Orchestra, and the Edmonton, Victoria, and Vancouver Symphony Orchestras.

In its 10-year existence, the Vanguard Premieres program has introduced 40 new choral works, including the five selections to be premiered on June 9.

Additional concert repertoire includes choral works by Larry Christiansen, Brazeal Dennard, Ron Nelson, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Charles Villiers Stanford and Ralph Vaughan Williams. Also participating in the performance will be accompanist Gerrie Ball and the Vanguard Brass & Percussion Ensemble.

Vanguard Voices is sponsored by the Dearborn Recreation Department, and is choir-in-residence at Henry Ford Community College. The members of the 75-voice mixed chorus enjoy singing a cappella, with Vanguard Brass, and with area symphony orchestras. 

Reserved tickets for the concert are $14, $10, and $5 (student) and are available at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center box office, which is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

For more information, call 313-943-2354, or visit www.vanguardvoices.org.