CRESCENDO CONCERT SERIES
PRESENTS CHANSON
CRESCENDO CONCERT SERIES will present CHANSON, a six-voice male vocal ensemble formed in 1997 at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. Featuring a wide variety of musical styles from creative folk song arrangements, Renaissance motets, passionate Russian anthems, energetic spirituals, and even newly commissioned works, the group has earned a reputation for its seamless blend, precise intonation, and warm, resonant sound.
Chanson combines three tenors (Matthew T. Kneefe, J. Aaron McDermid, and Micah Lamb), two baritones (Aaron M. Zinter and Peter A. Lovett), and Bass Brett McDermid. Four of the members are natives of Minnesota, one of Winnipeg, Manitoba, and one from Louisville, Kentucky. Even though their careers in choral performance, conducting, composing, and the arts are practiced in cities across the U.S. and Montreal, they continue to tour widely and to delight audiences with their uniquely rich and expressive style. They have released two compact disc recordings “Come Sing to Me of Heaven” and “There is Sweet Music.”
The Shrine of Ste. Philippine Duchesne at the Academy of Sacred Heart in St. Charles is an ideal location for such a concert, and this is the first Crescendo Concert Series presentation on this historic site. Many of Chanson’s selections will take advantage of the acoustical properties particular to the Shrine.
A non-profit organization, the Crescendo Concert Series was a joint project initiated in 1999 by St. John United Church of Christ, St. Charles Presbyterian Church, and First United Methodist Church. It has been supported for the past six years through generous grants by the Arts and Culture Commission of the City of St. Charles, by corporate sponsors such as Target Stores and Parkside Meadows Retirement Community, by individual donors, and by advertising purchased by local businesses and merchants.
Said George Morris, president of the Crescendo Concert Series Board of Directors, “People of St. Charles City and County have shown growing interest and appreciation over this past season by coming in greater numbers to hear fine music. Our final spring concert on May 21 will feature renowned cellist Andres Diaz who lives in the Philadelphia area.” All concerts are on Sundays at 3:00 p.m. at various venues in St. Charles city. A pre-concert talk begins at 2:30 p.m. conducted by Nancy Rubenstein, Ph.D, who has taught music history and appreciation at local universities and now serves on the Crescendo Concert Series Board of Directors.
“Ticket revenue is only a small part of the income needed to present a concert series, even when conducted entirely by volunteers. We are also grateful for generous gifts from individuals and from our advertisers and co-sponsors of some concerts. We encourage lovers of fine music to support our efforts,”
Morris concluded. Tax-deductible donations can be made by sending checks to the Crescendo Concert Series.
The concert will be held at the Shrine of Ste. Philippine Duchesne at the Academy of Sacred Heart, 619 North Second Street, St. Charles, Missouri. (Enter from North Fourth Street and follow the Crescendo Concert signs.)
It will be held at 3 p.m., Sunday, March 19, 2006
Individual adult tickets for $12 and student tickets for $5 can be purchased by sending a check or money order and a self-addressed stamped envelope to the Crescendo Concert Series, P.O. Box 1613, St. Charles, MO, 63302-1613 or at the door. Group rates are available by calling (636) 724-2507. For additional information consult
