Sacred Music for a Secular Age
Jesus gave a message of peace, tolerance and love – why has so much violence been committed in his name?
Composer Armando Bayolo in his 2 part oratorio for chamber orchestra and voices seeks to understand how Jesus’ message and Christianity have been so mis-represented.
GREAT NOISE ENSEMBLE continues their second season on March 16, 2007 with “Sacred Music for a Secular Age ” and a presentation of Towards Golgatha for Chamber Orchestra and Vocal Quartet composed by Armando Bayolo. GNE will be joined by Rachel Barham, soprano, Tracy Cowart, mezzo-soprano, Thomas Mirenda, tenor and Solomon Howard, bass.
The concert will take place at the Ward Recital Hall, Benjamin T. Rome School of Music, Catholic University 8 P.M. 620 Michigan Ave NE, Washington, DC 20064 at 8 PM. Tickets are $20 general/ $10 students & seniors and available at the door or online:
www.greatnoiseensemble.com
Towards Golgotha by Armando Bayolo sets the story of Jesus’ last days through the lens of poetry from the last 200 years. Scored for soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor and baritone soloists and chamber orchestra, Towards Golgotha explores the story of Jesus’ last days through the work of modern and contemporary poets and seeks to arrive at an understanding of the myriad meanings attached to the foundational story of Christian faith and the significance it still holds to a largely secularized contemporary age.
Bayolo’s music “often exude(s) a searching quality that makes each piece a pathway reaching toward a kind of understanding or discovery. Achieving this effect is one of the most difficult and important projects for an artist to undertake, and he does it with a sincere heart and great technical accomplishment; ”
(Evan Chambers, the University of Michigan)
“It is new, it is fresh and it gets its message across.”
(Gerald Cochran, Charlotte Observer)
Past performances by the GNE this season included a birthday celebration of Steve Reich and his music, the first of Great Noise’s annual Composers in Profile series, ” Premieres and Prized Pieces,” an all-premiere program and ” Dancing, Drumming & Re-Defining” a recital of chamber works. Also in 2006-2007, Great Noise is the ensemble in residence for the Washington chapter of the American Composers Forum.
The mission of the Great Noise Ensemble is to promote the work of young, emerging talents in the field of new music from the United States with a focus on composers from the Washington DC area and to further the creation of new musical compositions, present world-class performances of masterpieces of music since 1970 and to educate audiences on the work of both established and emerging composers active in the creation of new concert music.
For questions please contact Executive Director Kristen Williams at info@greatnoiseensemble.com
or visit http://www.greatnoisensemble.com
and http://www.myspace.com/greatnoise