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Rehearsal Schedule & other Member Information
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National Men’s Chorus
2401
Virginia Avenue,
NW
CONTACT: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NATIONAL MEN'S CHORUS TO PERFORM SONGS OF THE SEA National Men's Chorus, now in its eleventh season, will perform a concert entitled Songs of the Sea on Sunday, March 14, at 4pm, at Western Presbyterian Church, 2401 Virginia Avenue, in Foggy Bottom. The program, conducted by Artistic Director, Thomas Beveridge, will feature baritone Bob McDonald and pianist Thomas Pandolfi. The principal work will be Charles Villiers Stanford's Songs of the Sea, five songs on poems by Henry Newbolt, for baritone solo, men's chorus and piano, including the famous song Drake's Drum. Stanford was one of Great Britain's most influential musicians during his tenure from 1883 to 1924 as professor of musical composition at the Royal College of Music. Among his pupils were Ralph Vaughan Williams, Gustav Hoist and John Ireland. Also to be performed will be Thomas Beveridge's It was a Lover and His Lass, Anton Rubinstein's "Three Pictures" from The Tower of Babylon, songs of Charles Ives, a medley of Irish-American songs and two arrangements by Frederic Gray, who is a member of National Men's Chorus, Bob McDonald is well-known to Washington audiences for his performances of opera, oratorio and musical theater. He has appeared as soloist with the Choral Arts Society of Washington, New Dominion Chorale, San Francisco Symphony and the Folger Consort. As a singing actor he has performed at the Folger Elizabethan Theater, Signature Theater and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Thomas Pandolfi, who is pianist for the National Men's Chorus, is an internationally acclaimed virtuoso known for his performances of rarely heard works from the golden age of pianism. He has performed concerti with many European orchestras, including the Georges Enescu Philharmonic in Budapest, the Moravian Philharmonic, the National Philharmonic of the Republic of Moldava, and with numerous American orchestras. He has played solo recitals in most of the United States and has toured frequently in Western and Eastern Europe and China. Thomas Beveridge, Founder and Artistic Director of National Men's Chorus ,is one of the Washington area's most versatile musicians. He is considered a leading authority on the male chorus. Among his over 600 works are 200 arrangements for men's voices. He recently was awarded the first "Wammie" given to a Washington composer. National Men's Chorus has been praised in the Washington Post for its "vigor, well-blended tone and fine dynamic nuance". The chorus has performed at the Library of Congress, The National Gallery of Art and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and on many local concert series. Its popular CD of American Patriotic Music, Life and Liberty, has sold over 20,000 copies nationwide. Tickets for Songs of the Sea will be available at $15 at the door or by calling (202) 244- 7191 for advance purchase. Students and children will be admitted free of charge. Western Presbyterian Church is easily reached by Metro (Foggy Bottom station). For further information visit www.nationalmenschorus.org
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