Submitted by Lisa Nappi.
MIDDLETOWN, CONN. (July 20, 2021) — The GMChorale is proud to present
Creation’s Bounty for their 2021-2022 season and is seeking new singers of all ages
and voice types to join us!
Would you like to sing in a choral group that performs interesting and often
under-produced, established choral masterworks and new music?
Would you like to join a singer-focused choral group helping their members
become better musicians through performance and education?
Would you like to be part of a community-based performing arts organization,
with multiple choral, instrumental and educational offerings, that aims to enrich the
individual and the community?
GMChorale is comprised of a diverse group of individuals of all ages and walks of
life who are united in their love of music and a desire to create community. We
perform two mainstage concerts each season, as well as sing for the annual Festival
of Carols at First Congregational Church of Cheshire.
With a wide-ranging classical repertoire, we perform many of the great choral
masterworks with orchestra, music of various styles, periods, and genres, and
contemporary music recently commissioned and composed.
Rehearsals are on Tuesday evenings from 7:00-9:30 p.m. at Bethany Lutheran
Church, 50 Court Street, Cromwell, CT, and incorporate physical and vocal
warmups, full group rehearsal periods, and smaller voice sectionals to create a
fulfilling rehearsal experience. Member accompanists and vocal coaches in each of
the breakout sessions assist singers in learning their music.
We are always seeking new members to join our welcoming community. If you are
looking for a weekly evening “out,” we encourage you to inquire about joining us on
Tuesdays for rehearsals!
GMChorale takes the COVID 19 pandemic very seriously and closely monitors and
implements CDC recommendations. Further details about our COVID policies will be
updated on our website.
For more information, and to inquire about joining us, please visit our website
www.gmchorale.org/join-us-1, email New Member Coordinator, Margie Livengood,
at margie.livengood@gmchorale.org, or call Margie at 860-633-6198.
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Interviews: For more information, or to schedule an interview with Artistic
Director Joseph D’Eugenio, please contact Lisa Nappi at 860-747-1022, or send an
email to info@gmchorale.org.
About the GMChorale (Greater Middletown Chorale) – The GMChorale has
become one of New England’s finest and most engaging choruses since its founding
in 1977 as The Greater Middletown Chorale. Today, the GMChorale is celebrated for
its innovative symphonic choral presentations, and often performs with the New
Haven Symphony Orchestra, the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, and other
ensembles. GMChorale has taken two European concert tours and provided music
for the Sunday noon mass at Venice’s extraordinary Basilica San Marco.
Under the inspired leadership of Joseph D’Eugenio, the Chorale performs a wide
range of choral repertoire, from beloved masterworks to newly commissioned
pieces. The GMChorale has commissioned and premiered new choral works by
leading composers including Gwyneth Walker, Eugenie Rocherolle, Peter Niedmann,
Colin Britt, Ellen Gilson Voth, Lee McQuillan, Henry Mollicone, and Grammynominated composer Sarah Meneely-Kyder.
As the GMChorale enters its fifth decade, the organization is broadening its mission
and the scope of its offerings to bring the power and beauty of choral music to
people and communities across Connecticut. It is a core principle of the Chorale
that the power of music is should be enjoyed for a lifetime.
About Artistic Director Joseph D’Eugenio – Recognized as one of Southern New
England’s most engaging musicians, Joseph D’Eugenio has been bringing music to
life across the region for nearly three decades.
As a conductor, artistic director, music director, educator, pianist, organist, and
vocal and conducting coach, D’Eugenio combines imaginative programming, skilled
conducting, and deeply-informed musical versatility when producing captivating
performances of choral, chamber, keyboard, and orchestral music.
D’Eugenio’s passion for preparing and presenting the great choral masterworks has
led him to conduct productions of major choral-orchestral works each season, most
often with the GMChorale, where he has served as Artistic Director since 1998.
Under D’Eugenio’s leadership, the GMChorale, an auditioned symphonic chorus of
80 voices that performs a wide range of choral music from several centuries, has
become known as one of New England’s finest choruses, celebrated for its creative
choral presentations, exciting performances, and dynamic collaborations, including
those with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra and the Hartford Symphony
Orchestra (with D’Eugenio conducting). The GMChorale and Alchemy (the
professional vocal chamber ensemble of GMChorale) have performed at conventions
of the Connecticut chapter of the American Choral Directors Association. D’Eugenio
conducted the GMChorale’s international concert debuts in Vienna, Salzburg,
Prague, Rome, Florence and Venice, where the GMChorale performed at the historic
St. Mark’s Basilica.
D’Eugenio takes a special interest in creating meaningful collaborations with other
ensembles and performers to produce events that engage an entire community. In
2010, GMChorale, Elm City Girls’ Choir, and the Eastern Connecticut Symphony
Orchestra Chorus presented a semi-staged theatrical performance of Mendelssohn’s
grand oratorio Elijah. Community events leading up to the performance included a
series of lectures and conversations that explored how the prophet Elijah could be
understood within Islamic, Christian, and Jewish traditions.
More recently, D’Eugenio produced a project on a scale rarely undertaken by a
community chorus: GMChorale’s commissioning of an oratorio, Letter from
Italy,1944, composed by Grammy-nominated composer, Sarah Meneely-Kyder, and
poet, Nancy Fitz-Hugh Meneely, for which he also wrote the book, conducted the
semi-staged multimedia 2013 premiere in Middletown, and oversaw the production
of two related videos. D’Eugenio collaborated with filmmaker, Karyl Evans, to
produce the documentary video Letter from Italy, 1944: A New American Oratorio,
narrated by Meryl Streep, which earned Ms. Evans an Emmy-award for Outstanding
Director in 2016, and was broadcast on CPTV. In 2017, D’Eugenio conducted the
oratorio’s second performance and Hartford premiere at the Bushnell Theater with
the full vocal forces of GMChorale, Hartford Chorale, vocal soloists and cast, and
the Hartford Symphony Orchestra.
D’Eugenio has championed and conducted premieres of GMChorale-commissioned
works by recognized composers such as Gwyneth Walker, Eugenie Rocherolle, Colin
Britt, Ellen Gilson Voth, Lee McQuillan, and Henry Mollicone. Most recently in 2019,
D’Eugenio conducted the premiere of New Every Morning, a choral cantata for
chorus, soloist, and piano, composed by Peter Niedmann.
In 2009, D’Eugenio was named Conductor of the Year by the Connecticut Chapter
of ACDA. In demand as a guest conductor and clinician, D’Eugenio has led various
workshops and festivals, and has worked with choral groups in high schools,
colleges, and universities across Connecticut, including Wesleyan University in
Middletown.
A collaborative pianist of the first rank, D’Eugenio frequently accompanies
professional choral ensembles, All-State choral festivals, and song recitals with
noted concert artists. He may be heard on In Delightful Company, a CD of choral
music composed by Pulitzer prize finalist, Charles Fussell.
D’Eugenio has served as Director of Music and organist at the First Congregational
Church in Cheshire, Connecticut since 2003, where he directs the church’s vibrant
music program and chancel choir. D’Eugenio earned the Bachelor of Music (cum
laude) in piano performance from The Hartt School, University of Hartford, and the
Master of Music in choral conducting from the University of Connecticut.
