Latest news with #FestivalChorus
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Spoleto Festival USA names new music director of the festival chorus
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD)—Spoleto Festival USA has appointed a new music director for the festival chorus. Starting in 2026, Dr. Amanda Quist will bring her knowledge to the position of directing the chorus. Dr. Quist is an associate professor and director of choral activities at Western Michigan University. She possesses a Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral Conducting and a Doctoral Cognate in Voice Pedagogy and Science from the University of North Texas. 'We are incredibly excited to welcome Amanda Quist to the Spoleto Festival USA family,' said Spoleto Festival USA General Director and CEO Dr. Mena Mark Hanna. 'Her profound musicality, innovative programming ideas, and commitment to nurturing the next generation of professional singers align perfectly with the Festival's artistic mission. Amanda will build upon Joe Miller's legacy at Spoleto and continue to lead the Festival Chorus to new heights of artistry and excellence.' Dr. Quist was selected for the role after the departure of Dr. Joe Miller, who led in the role for 19 years. 'I am honored and incredibly excited to join Spoleto Festival USA,' said Dr. Quist. 'I look forward to leading this incredible professional choir program and building on the tremendous legacy of world-class choral music at Spoleto. My goal is to cultivate the Festival Chorus as a vital platform for emerging professional singers, allowing them to hone their craft at the highest level across a great diversity of musical opportunities. I envision a chorus that not only delivers breathtaking performances but also inspires a broad audience, making the Festival known to everyone across America and the world.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Independent
13-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Edinburgh Festival to focus on reconciling ‘complexities of truth'
The Edinburgh International Festival will this year focus on reconciling the 'complexities of truth', its director Nicola Benedetti has said. The event's theme is The Truth We Seek, and it will see more than 1,700 artists from 42 nations, including 600 from Scotland, take to the stage in Edinburgh from August 1 to 24. The festival programme was revealed on Thursday, and it features a wide range of performances, including music, theatre, class opera and dance, all tied in with the theme of 'truth'. Benedetti, a multi-award winning Scottish violinist, said the arts are in a position where they can separate fact from disinformation. Ahead of the programme's launch, she said: 'The arts are at an advantage with a problem like that, because what we're trying to get across is that talking about truth versus when you're talking about fact. 'Truth is something that encompasses a lot of different perspectives and encompasses past, present and future. Fact is something that you can observe and you can check and recheck. 'What we're trying to say as a festival is that you need the humility to be able to say, actually there's very little in life that you know for sure – you always need to be in a position of questioning everything you see, but we're also saying that today's world is far too lazy with checking and proving that. 'For our festival to ask the big questions like that and it to be in the air as people go into our shows and go into our performances, the performances themselves will only deepen your questioning of how do you do with and reconcile the complexities of truth. 'Our 2025 Edinburgh International Festival invites you to explore The Truth We Seek – a journey into the elusive nature of truth, in our personal and public lives. In an era of 'alternative facts' and manipulated narratives, the arts offer us something deeper: a poetic and metaphorical wisdom that is both more nuanced and more precise.' Benedetti, who was made an MBE in 2013 for her services to music and charity, said it is tough to pick any particular 'must-see' moments in the festival line-up, but said the opening show is one to watch. She said: 'I don't know where to start with what is unmissable. We kick off the festival with a really unconventional moment which is in the Usher Hall. 'It's a concert that's going to be an eight-hour performance with 250 singers featuring our Festival Chorus, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. 'There'll be an incredible exploration into the essence of truth from perspectives around the world, looking at how all religions actually speak a common, universal truth, so it's breaking down some of that disharmony. 'We also have an incredible performance in the old college quad, so it'd be really unusual in that it's a common dance performance.' Other festival highlights include opera incorporating circus performers for a fusion of music and acrobatics in Orpheus And Eurydice, and Breaking Bach – where hip-hop meets 18th-century period instruments. Succession star Brian Cox is also set to return to the Scottish stage for the first time in a decade, starring in Make It Happen, a satirical play written by playwright James Graham exploring Scotland's role in the global financial crash of 2008. The fictional account features a mix of characters in incidents inspired by real-life events, and Cox will play pioneering Scottish economist and philosopher Adam Smith. Despite funding uncertainty last year, Benedetti told the PA news agency: 'I would say we're in a celebratory moment right now, we're at the beginning of a three-year funding settlement, it's a really pivotal moment for culture in Scotland. 'With this many organisations, 251, being funded (through Creative Scotland) to the tune of £200 million, now is not the time to immediately start with the worry sentiment, it's the time for everyone to work together, to act as a collective and to galvanise the increased support for the arts. 'It's such an important part of our civic conscience, and for anyone and everyone, it needs to be there. 'So I would say that we have a really firm foundation now upon which to build over the coming years.' Last year, Benedetti said 'the toughest battle of all' is innovating while at the same time preserving tradition at the festival. Asked if this year's event has managed to strike the balance, she said: 'I think we have struck a good balance every single year, given the swirl of what's going on artistically around the world. 'We have to look at the quality of what's there and then do a sort of jigsaw puzzle with that perfect balance that we want to see of the new, daring, for the audiences that are willing to trust us and just try something versus those who want to see an outstanding international level of excellence of art performed on our stages.' Tickets are available to buy online from March 27, with free entry available for a range of people, including those with a disability. Early bird tickets are also available to Edinburgh International Festival members.
Los Angeles Times
19-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Pacific Symphony hosts 10th annual Orange County Lantern Festival
On Feb. 22, it will be 15 days since the Lunar New Year began, marking the Chinese tradition of the Lantern Festival. Also called Shangyuan Festival and Cap Go Meh, the festival celebrates the first full moon of the lunar calendar, and Pacific Symphony, in collaboration with the South Coast Chinese Cultural Center, will host the 10th annual Orange County Lantern Festival at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa for the occasion. 'We created the Orange County Lantern Festival tradition with Pacific Symphony in 2016 because we know that music can bring people together,' said Yulan Chung, chief executive officer of the South Coast Chinese Cultural Center, in a statement. Opened in 2005 by the South Coast Chinese Cultural Assn., the South Coast Chinese Cultural Center serves as a permanent campus where the association continues its mission of promoting and preserving Chinese heritage, culture and language, advocating for unity in diversity in America and serving as a central cultural hub for Chinese American communities. The Lantern Festival gives the South Coast Chinese Cultural Center an opportunity to share its traditions with the local community. The first full moon marks the return of spring, and the renewal represents the reunion of family. The tradition of lighting and appreciating lanterns symbolizes the letting go of the burdens and worries of last year and putting forth one's best self and intentions for the future. 'Lantern Festival is a celebration of the first full moon in the Lunar calendar, representing the hope, joy and connection to come in the new year,' said Chung. 'Attendees will experience Asian American culture displayed through performing arts, such as orchestra, lion dance, folk dance and arts and crafts designed for families with young children.' The family-friendly event, taking place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, will also include live demonstrations, booths and food trucks. In the concert hall lobby, multicultural arts and crafts like calligraphy, paper-lantern making and mini-drum building are scheduled for young guests along with an art exhibition titled 'Reunions and Togetherness.' The exhibition will feature 40 visual artists of all ages exemplifying this year's Lantern Festival theme: coming together in celebration of culture, unity and solidarity. Inside the concert hall, musical performances will begin at 11 a.m., starting with a lion dance and the Pacific Symphony String Quintet, Chinese Dance Company of Southern California and South Coast Chinese Orchestra/Festival Chorus. At 12:40 p.m., Lạc Hồng Performing Arts Group, Thủy Vân Dance Company, Pacific Symphony Youth Chamber Artists and Festival Chorus will take the stage, followed by Pacific Symphony's Festival Orchestra, Tawni Nguyen, the Korean American Youth Performing Arts and DooDream Samulnori closing out the program at 2:20 p.m. 'We are honored to partner once again with South Coast Chinese Cultural Center to host our 10th Orange County Lantern Festival,' said Alison Levinson, senior director of arts engagement and inclusion for Pacific Symphony. 'It's a great opportunity for us to come together as a community around the Lantern Festival celebration to showcase hundreds of amazing artists within Orange County in an accessible and welcoming environment.' Performances outside on the Julianne & George Argyros plaza will include eight demonstrations of traditional Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese music, dance and fashion happening throughout the day, ending with a dragon dance and lantern parade led by the San Gabriel Valley Chinese Cultural Assn. Admission is free, but tickets are required. This year, the event is also offering festival passes priced at $50, which provide early entry into the lobby at 10 a.m. and guaranteed general admission seating in the orchestra level for the first segment of the festival. Visit to secure a free admission or purchase festival passes.
