The Coro Allegro Newsletter Winter 2008 Edition

Sanford Sylvan to Receive Coro Allegro's Inaugural Daniel Pinkham Award

BOSTON, MA — Coro Allegro proudly announces that world renowned bass-baritone Sanford Sylvan will be presented with the inaugural Daniel Pinkham Award at Coro Allegro's upcoming concert on Saturday February 23, 2008 at Sander's Theatre in Cambridge. The Daniel Pinkham award, established by Coro Allegro in tribute to the renowned composer Daniel Pinkham, a major figure on the Boston music scene who died in December 2006, will be given annually in recognition of outstanding contributions to classical choral music and to the gay and lesbian community. The upcoming concert will feature Pinkham's The White Raven, commissioned and premiered by Coro Allegro in 1996. Mr. Sylvan will be a featured soloist at the concert in Michael Haydn's Missa sub titulo Sancti Francisci Seraphici.

Mr. Sylvan, who established his reputation and career while based in Boston, has achieved national and international renown for his vocal range and expressive power. Raised and trained in New York, Sylvan was drawn to Boston for its rich and serious musical environment and for the opportunity to work with important mentors, particularly Craig Smith at Emmanuel Music, where Sylvan first sang upon arrival in Boston, and Patricia Zander, who coached him for solo recitals and brought him to the attention of the wider musical community. Sylvan went on to earn acclaim for vocal work in a variety of styles, notably operatic performances both traditional (Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro and Cosi fan tutte) and modern (John Adams' Nixon in China and The Death of Klinghofer) and international recital tours with pianist Daniel Breitman. Despite regular engagements with the world's leading orchestras, an enormously successful recording career, and Emmy and Grammy Awards for his dramatic work, Sylvan still loves to return to Boston to sing with local musical organizations of high quality. He most recently sang with Coro Allegro in the 2004 World Premiere of Patricia Van Ness's Requiem and in the 2003 World Premiere of Charles Fussell's Infinite Fraternity.

Massachusetts native Daniel Pinkham became a legendary figure in Boston's classical musical scene as a composer, organist, faculty member at the New England Conservatory, and musical director at King's Chapel. Pinkham trained at Phillips Academy in Andover, Harvard University and Tanglewood with such musical giants as Paul Hindemith, Samuel Barber, Nadia Boulanger, Aaron Copland, and Walter Piston. His diverse compositions were built on interests in both early music as well as modern experimentation, and they earned popular appeal for their technical and aesthetic accessibility. The White Raven, commissioned by Coro Allegro, is a work in five movements based on text by 18th century poet Christopher Smart. Pinkham composed the soprano solo specifically with the voice of Carole Haber in mind. Ms. Haber premiered the work with Coro Allegro in 1996 and will reprise her solo in the upcoming February concert. The White Raven was also recorded with Ms. Haber on Coro Allegro's 2002 compact disk Somewhere I Have Never Traveled.

Celebrating 17 years of excellence, Coro Allegro was founded in 1990 and gave its debut concert in May 1991. The organization is dedicated to building social and musical bridges through high-quality performances of significant choral works. Composed of 60 men and women, Coro Allegro is regarded as one of the finest choruses in Boston. In a city rich in choral groups, Coro Allegro, led by Artistic Director David Hodgkins, stands out for its ability to sing a cappella and accompanied choral works equally well, its commitment to contemporary and lesser-known composers and its consistent musical growth.

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