Unforgettable concert planned

Submitted by Julie Kostrey

Distinguished Concerts International New York presents an unforgettable concert event on Sunday, June 28, 2009, 8:00 PM at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall.  The evening will showcase the incredible talent of American choral idol, Eric Whitacre, and his electrifying work.  Distinguished Concert Singers International New York, comprised of hundreds of auditioned singers from throughout the country, including the Southern California Children’s Concert Chorus and Ensemble Singers of Newport Beach, CA (director Lori Loftus), will flock to New York City this summer for the chance to work with Whitacre, one of the most performed choral music composers of his generation, in an unprecedented “Whitacre fest.”

The evening will feature two new Whitacre World Premieres, as well as his most popular repertoire, including Lux Aurumque, A Boy and A Girl, Five Hebrew Love Songs, Cloudburst and Animal Crackers I and II, which was commissioned by DCINY and premiered in New York this past March 2009.  Celebrated poet and Whitacre lyricist, Dr. Charles Anthony Silvestri will also be in attendance for this unique event, and will share the microphone with Whitacre during the performance. 

Eric Whitacre is an LA-based composer of choral, wind band, and electronic music whose loyal fans and supporters span the globe.  Whitacre’s rock star status with young musicians has brought him significant recognition within the contemporary music world, and he maintains a prominent online following. To date, Whitacre's published works have received thousands of performances and have sold well over 750,000 copies worldwide. He has received composition awards from the Barlow International Composition Competition, the American Choral Directors Association, and the American Composers Forum. In 2001, he became the youngest recipient ever awarded the coveted Raymond C. Brock commission by ACDA.

Acclaimed poet Charles Anthony Silvestri has provided lyrics for numerous composers for a variety of prestigious commissions.  His collaborations with Whitacre have sold hundreds of thousands of copies of sheet music, been sung by thousands of choirs around the world, and heard on television and radio, and in magnificent spaces such as the Sydney Opera House, Disney Hall, the National Cathedral, York Minster, and Westminster Abbey.