The Temple University Concert Choir presents Swiss composer Frank Martin’s Mass for Double Choir. One of the great masterpieces of the 20th century a cappella repertoire, this piece is both modern and ancient at the same time, weaving together chant-inspired melodies into an ethereal tapestry of harmony. The program also features works composed for great spaces by Anton Bruckner, Gabriel Jackson, Joan Szymko, and Franz Biebl.
Temple University Choral Progam
The Temple University Choirs have enjoyed a rich tradition of excellence under the batons of some of Philadelphia's most prominent conductors. The six ensembles comprise nearly 200 students each year, and have enjoyed regional and national acclaim for their performances both individually and collectively. Between the 1940s and 1980s the combined choirs performed annually with the Philadelphia Orchestra, and since 2002 have collaborated annually with the Temple University Orchestra at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. All choirs are open to Temple students of all majors by audition.
Temple choirs strive for excellence, artistry, and individual growth. They embrace both standard choral works and contemporary music from all around the world. In 1967, under the preparation of Robert Page and the baton of Eugene Ormandy, the choirs performed Carl Orff’s Catulli Carmina with the Philadelphia Orchestra, a performance that tied with Leonard Bernstein’s Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 for that year’s Grammy Award for Best Classical Choral Performance (Other Than Opera).
Temple’s choirs have enjoyed leadership by some of the profession’s finest musicians, including:
Elaine Brown, founder of Philadelphia’s Singing City choir, passionate advocate for the role of choral singing in social integration, and only the second woman to conduct the Philadelphia Orchestra
Robert Page, director of choral studies at Carnegie Mellon University; two-time Grammy Award-winning artist and guest conductor with the major US orchestras, including Cleveland, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Houston, and Dallas
Alan Harler, winner of Chorus America’s 2009 Michael Korn Founders Award for Development of the Professional Choral Art, and first Temple conductor to earn invitations to regional and national conferences of the American Choral Directors Association and National Collegiate Choral Organization