Coro Allegro
Coro Allegro is a classical chorus based in Boston, Massachusetts, and draws its members from the LGBTQ+ and allied community. It was founded in 1991.
Profile and performances
[edit]Coro Allegro was founded specifically to be a chorus of both gay men and lesbians who share a passion for music, and it remains the only organization in Boston committed to bringing exciting classical repertoire to the LGBTQ+ community. The chorus also succeeds in bringing classical music to a wider audience. In its first twenty years, its numbers grew from just twenty singers to more than sixty.[1]
Premieres and commissions
[edit]Since its founding in 1991, Coro Allegro has performed 28 world premieres, including 18 works commissioned by or for the chorus, plus an additional three American premieres and five Boston premieres. Notable premieres include:
- Kenneth Fuchs' Three Songs on Robert Frost Texts, 1994
- Kenneth Fuchs' In the Clearing, 1995
- Daniel Pinkham's The White Raven, 1996
- Ruth Lomon's Requiem for soprano and chorus accompanied by brass and woodwinds, 1997[2]
- Patricia Van Ness's The Voice of the Tenth Muse, 1998
- Charles Fussell’s Infinite Fraternity, May 16, 2003 at Sanders Theatre[3]
- David Brunner's The Wheel, 2004
- Patricia Van Ness's Requiem for baritone, chorus, two violins, viola, cello, bass and oboe, October 31, 2004[4]
- Robert Stern’s “Shofar,” November 5, 2006 at Sanders Theatre[5]
- Fred Onovwerosuoke's “A Triptych of American Voices: A Cantata of the People,” Sunday, March 24, 2019 at Sanders Theatre[6]
Awards
[edit]- Chorus America/ASCAP Alice Parker Award (2012)[7]
- Chorus America/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming (2019)[8]
Pinkham Award
[edit]In 2008, Coro Allegro established the Daniel Pinkham Award, which is awarded annually to an outstanding contributor to classical choral music and the LGBTQ+ community. The award is given in memory of Daniel Pinkham, the acclaimed and beloved Boston composer, musical director, and organist.[9] Award recipients include:
- Sanford Sylvan, 2008[10]
- Bishop Gene Robinson, 2009[11]
- Fenwick Smith, 2010
- Patricia Van Ness, 2011
- Donald Teeters, 2012
- David Hodgkins, 2013
- Laury Gutiérrez, 2014
- Lorna Cooke deVaron, 2015
- Janson Wu, 2016
- Catherine Peterson, 2017
- Robin Godfrey, 2018
- Darryl Hollister, 2019
- GALA Choruses Board & Staff, 2021
- Sam Brinton, 2022
- Reginald Mobley, 2024
Collaborations
[edit]The chorus regularly collaborates with other musical ensembles. Among its most notable collaborations are the performances of:
- Mendelssohn’s Elijah with the Boston Cecilia and the Handel and Haydn Society under the direction of Christopher Hogwood (1999)[12]
- Robert Kapilow’s baseball cantata, a setting of Casey at the Bat for chorus, with Boston Musica Viva in collaboration with choreographer Daniel Pelzig for the Celebrity Series of Boston (2001)[13]
- Brahms’ German Requiem with Boston Cecilia under the direction of Donald Teeters (2003)[14]
- Poulenc's Gloria and Bernstein's Chichester Psalms with Boston Cecilia (2004)
- Pablo Ortiz' Leaving Limerick in the Rain with the Terezín Music Foundation at Liberation: A Concert Honoring the 70th Anniversary of the Liberation of the Nazi Camps in Boston Symphony Hall[15]
- William Grant Still's And They Lynched Him on a Tree with The Heritage Chorale of New Haven (1999,[16] 2019[6])
Coro Allegro has performed with the Boston Landmarks Orchestra on the Boston Common and at the Edward A. Hatch Memorial Shell.[17] The chorus has also collaborated with the Back Bay Ringers, the Boston City Singers, the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus, Chorus Pro Musica, City on a Hill Charter School Chorus, La Donna Musicale, Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra, Rumbarroco, Toronto Children’s Chorus, and the United Parish Chancel Choir.
GALA Choruses festivals
[edit]Coro Allegro participates in the quadrennial GALA Choruses festival.[18]
- Tampa, Florida, 1996
- San Jose, California, 2000
- Place des Arts, Montreal, Quebec, 2004
- Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, Miami, Florida, 2008
- Denver Performing Arts Complex, Denver, Colorado, 2012
- Denver Performing Arts Complex, Denver, Colorado, 2016
- Minneapolis, Minnesota, 2024
References
[edit]- ^ "ArtsBoston Organization Detail: Coro Allegro". ArtsBoston. July 25, 2011. Archived from the original on July 25, 2011. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
- ^ Boston Secession: Composer in Residence, accessed December 16, 2009
- ^ "Charles Fussell" in International Who's Who in Classical Music 2003 (Routledge, 2003)
- ^ Blue Lantern Press: Patricia Van Ness
- ^ Wieting, Geoffrey (November 16, 2009). "Shofar Highlights Concert with Coro Allegro at Sanders". The Boston Musical Intelligencer. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
- ^ a b Wieting, Geoffrey (March 29, 2019). "America/We Need to Talk". The Boston Musical Intelligencer. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
- ^ "2012 Chorus America Awards Announced". Chorus America. May 5, 2012. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
- ^ "Chorus America/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming". Chorus America. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
- ^ "Pinkham Award". Coro Allegro. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
- ^ Weininger, David (February 22, 2008). "An award for Sylvan". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
- ^ Jacobs, Ethan (June 12, 2011). "Coro Allegro to honor gay bishop". Bay Windows. Archived from the original on June 12, 2011. Retrieved December 15, 2011.
- ^ Boston Globe, "Elijah Affirms One's Faith in H & H," October 21, 2000
- ^ Boson Globe, "This Casey Doesn't Strike Out", May 14, 2001
- ^ Boston Globe, "Cecilia, Coro Allegro Find Balance With Brahms," March 19, 2003
- ^ Eichler, Jeremy (October 7, 2015). "Honoring the war's end, in verse and song". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on October 10, 2015. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
- ^ Gellman, Lucy (March 3, 2023). "Heritage Chorale Rings In 25 Years At New Haven Museum". New Haven Arts. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
- ^ "BLO Brings Free Orchestral Music To Hatch Shell". East Boston Times. July 20, 2022. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
- ^ "GALA Choruses Member Choruses". GALA Choruses. Archived from the original on March 20, 2012. Retrieved March 20, 2012.
External links
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