Experience Coro Allegro in the
Terezín Music Foundation's
Moving Concert Film
Support
Coro Allegro in this Season of Giving
In this time of isolation, Coro Allegro connects us – to joy, to happiness, to community, to music that celebrates of our shared humanity. Coro Allegro connects us to the time when we would all gather to share live music, as we will again!
We are so grateful to all who have donated to keep Coro Allegro going. With the help of our Coro Family, Boston's LGBTQ+ and allied classical chorus is pulling together to make it through. We invite you to join us as we raise our voices in new ways that fulfill our mission of building bridges between disparate communities through artistic excellence.
Experience Coro Allegro in the
TMF Concert Film
Coro Allegro, Boston's LGBTQ+ and allied classical chorus, David Hodgkins, Artistic Director was honored to perform at the Terezín Music Foundation's 2020 Concert Film, "I'm thinking of when we will meet again."
This deeply moving concert film premiered Monday, November 9, 2020 at 7:30pm, on the anniversary of Kristallnacht and the fall of the Berlin Wall, but is available to view through the end of the year. This concert to heal separation and loss features performances by pianist Garrick Ohlsson, celebrated artists from around the world, plus speakers and honorees Madeleine Albright, Holocaust survivor Anna Ornstein, and Khizr Khan. Virtual choirs from Coro Allegro perform “Eliahu HaNavi" by Terezín composer Viktor Ullmann, "I'll Be Seeing You" arr. by Peter Eldridge, and "We Shall Overcome," arr. by Brother Dennis Slaughter with the Boston Community Gospel Choir and the Brookline High School Camerata, led by Coro alumnus Michael Driscoll.
LEARN MORE AND READ THE LYRICS
A Letter from Coro Allegro
Board President, Bonnie McFarlane
Dear Friend,
It is with great pleasure that I introduce myself as the newly elected President of the Board of Directors of Coro Allegro. Many of you know me from my previous roles as a singer, board member, and organizer for the David Hodgkins 20th Anniversary Celebration and the David Hodgkins Dream Fund. When not singing myself, I have also been a devoted audience member and supporter of Coro Allegro.
I am especially moved to be entrusted with this position during the challenging times facing Coro Allegro, other performing arts groups, and society in general. All of us are grappling with the dangers posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, ongoing and increasing violence against people of color and other disenfranchised groups, and the divisiveness within our political and civil discourse. As a performing arts organization rooted in the LBGTQ+ Community, and dedicated to social justice and equality for all, Coro Allegro is committed to addressing these concerns as part of our mission, even as we embrace new ways of creating music and connecting to our communities. . .The outpouring of support for Coro Allegro and our mission was truly inspiring and makes me confident that our community will continue to support our work while we navigate these turbulent times.. Read Bonnie's full letter on the Coro Blog.
Join us for our 2020-2021 Virtual Season
Inspiration • Innovation • Collaboration
November 9, 2020
Coro Allegro is honored to perform works by Viktor Ullmann and Peter Eldridge for the Terezín Music Foundation's Virtual 2020 GALA, as well as to collaborate with members of the Boston Community Gospel Choir, led by Brother Dennis Slaughter, and the Brookline High School Camerata, led by Michael Driscoll..
PREMIERE POSTPONED - New Date TBA
A retrospective series amplifying the voices of Black artists, advocates, composers, and conductors with whom we have been proud to collaborate. Join us as we look back at works we have performed together in the context of the current Black Lives Matter movement.
Featuring Fred Onovwerosuoke • Phil Lima • Reginald Mobley • Jonathan Q. Barryman and others.
Launched this October, the Coro Academy offers music training courses for singers to help us emerge from the pandemic, stronger than ever!. Offerings include music theory/harmony and solfege, in collaboration with the Kodály Music Institute of Boston, plus vocal training masterclasses with beloved Coro Allegro Guest Artists,
Then later in the year, we invite singers and audience members alike to join us for a deep dive into the issues behind Here I Am: I Am Here, by composer Andrea Clearfield. This work, commissioned by Coro Allegro singers, is based on letters by LGBTQ+ advocates affirming transgender youth and survivors of conversion therapy. Meet the people behind the music, hear their stories, explore the power of music and personal narrative, then join us in taking action as we write our own letters to affirm LGBTQ+ youth.
Dear Friends,
in March 2019, long before the pandemic silenced our concert halls and our communities poured into the streets to cry out for justice following the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, Coro Allegro and the Heritage Chorale of New Haven joined forces for a concert called America/We Need to Talk . . .
. . . Coro Allegro stands with the Black community in turn. To our Black singers and audience members, and all the Black artists with whom we have the honor to make music, please know that we support you. Even if we can't sing together right now, we will still raise our voices with you to call for justice, to hold you safe, and to affirm that Black lives matter.
Equal Justice Initiative founder Bryan Stevenson lays out with clarity why America needs to talk about race and its role in our history:
"We have been practicing silence about our history for a very long time. In this country, we don’t talk about slavery, we don’t talk about lynching, we don’t talk about segregation, we have a hard time talking about race . . .We react to the effort of trying to talk about it as if that’s the threat. Not our continued silence."
Fred Onovwerosuoke closed his Cantata of the People with these words by his friend, the late Poet Laureate of St. Louis, Michael Castro: "We breathe the same air, [we] want the same things, we need to talk."
For the full statement, links to support our partners, and an extraordinary video by the Intercultural Music Initiative, visit the Coro Allegro blog.
Blossoms. The Wind Brings Them Down.
Enjoy this photo shared by Coro photographer Gillian Gordon, as part of her series Ghost Light Series: Illuminated Productions:
"I have revived my production photos from Greater Boston theatres. These past production photos are layered with images which could have inspired the stories being told on stage. These reimagined scenes make me wonder what images and stories from this uncertain time will inspire future theatre productions. Time will tell!"
"Coro Allegro, Boston’s LGBTQ+ and allied chorus, performs “You’ll Never Walk Alone” from Carousel at the end of We Will Not Be Erased: A Veteran’s Day Concert Honoring the Service of All, Sunday, November 10th, 2019 at Sanders Theatre, Cambridge. Photo by Gillian Gordon
Although its issue of domestic abuse is beyond dated to most, the Carousel score is stunning. Anytime I think about Carousel or see blossoms falling from a tree this simple conversation between Julie and Billy runs through my mind:
Julie: I can smell them. Can you? The blossoms. The wind brings them down.
Billy: There ain’t much wind tonight. Hardly any.
Coro Allegro performed such a beautiful rendition of “You’ll Never Walk Alone." Wishing you all clear skies and calm winds —try to smell some of the blossoms before the wind brings them all down." —Gilian Gordon, Photographer
Thank you!
We are so grateful to allwho made Coro Allegro's Online Auction and Virtual Halloween Party such a fabulous success and celebration of Coro Family. Thank you to those who donated their gifts and talents and supported Boston's LGBTQ+ and allied classical chorus with their generosity. Special kudos to Maverick's Live Jukebox, Betty Bang, Drag, the Coro Cabaret performers, not to mention our splendid hosts (and pets)!
Letters to our Children:
Voices across Generations for LGBTQ+ Youth
NEW DATE TBA
ANDREA CLEARFIELD
Here I Am: I Am Here [World Premiere]
RONALD PERERA
When Music Sounds
OJA GJEILO
Dark Night of the Soul
Luminous Night of the Soul
13th Annual Daniel Pinkham Award:
Sam Brinton of the Trevor Project
Shofar: In Memoriam
NEW DATE TBA
Sanders Theatre, Cambridge
Read the Concert Preview in JewishBoston.com:
"Shofar is a powerful metaphor embedded in choral music"
Featuring
New England Classical Singers
ROBERT STERN, Shofar
Teresa Wakim, soprano • Jonas Budris, tenor
Aaron Engebreth, baritone • David Kravitz, baritone
RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS, Five Mystical Songs
Ron Williams, Baritone
JOHANNES BRAHMS, Nänie, Opus 82
In memory of Robert Stern, Sanford Sylvan, and Donald Wilkinson
"A gem.... hope, freedom, justice and joy—all evident in the sound and faces of the soloists and choristers"
—Boston Musical Intelligencer, "Deep and Profound along the Charles"
Look for Coro's upcoming album
In the spring of 2018, Coro Allegro and Artistic Director David Hodgkins were proud to record We Are Here at Futura Productions. The album features Kareem Roustom's Rage Against the tyrant(s) and Eric Banks' Aluta continua: The passion of David Kato Kisule, two works by American composers bearing witness to international human rights. Keep an eye out for the full album in 2019!
Join us!
Coro Allegro is Boston's LGBTQ+ and allied classical chorus. Under the baton of Artistic Director David Hodgkins, Coro Allegro is known for award-winning programming, powerful commissions, and critically acclaimed performances and recordings of works by diverse classical and contemporary composers. We are proud to offer a welcoming, affirming and supportive environment for performers and audiences alike.
Experience that pride and community for yourself. Join the Coro Family of friends, allies and members of the LGBTQ+ community as a singer, supporter, or volunteer.
Auditions
Coro Allegro is seeking new singers for its 2019-2020 season. Auditions will be held by appointment for all voice parts! Learn more about the process and schedule an audition today!
Mailing List
Stay updated on Coro Allegro's upcoming concerts, auditions, and fundraising events.
Support
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