Deer Creek Chorale FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Patrick Dickerson, Vice President (443) 686-0060 [email protected]
BALTIMORE CHOIR COLLABORATION PREMIERES “ALZHEIMER’S STORIES” Presenting Robert Cohen’s masterpiece, new music by Goucher’s Daniel McDavitt
TOWSON, MD: The Deer Creek Chorale (DCC) and the Deer Creek Youth Choir in collaboration with the Goucher College Department of Music perform their concert “Music and Memory” on April 30, 2017 at 4:00pm in Kraushaar Auditorium, Goucher College, 1021 Dulaney Valley Road, Towson, MD 21204. A forum on Alzheimer’s Disease will precede the concert from 2:30pm to 3:15pm, followed by the DCC’s 10th Anniversary video presentation at 3:45pm. The concert features world-renowned choral director Professor Bruce Rogers (Mt. San Antonio College, CA), Artistic Director Martha Banghart (DCC), Director of Choral Activities Dr. Daniel McDavitt (Goucher), local soprano Carolyn Black-Sotir, baritone Thomas Beard, Youth Choir Director Julie Culotta (DCC). Composer Robert Cohen attends this Mid-Atlantic premiere of his masterpiece “Alzheimer’s Stories.”
“The Deer Creek Chorale is celebrating its 10th anniversary season,” says DCC Board President Pete McCallum, “and this spring’s concert is the capstone performance of a landmark milestone in the life of our organization. The poignancy of this work shows through the directors’ and choirs’ own experiences with the impact of Alzheimer’s Disease.” Composer Mack Wilberg’s “Dances to Life” and McDavitt’s world premiere of “Three Memories” will be followed by Cohen’s “Alzheimer’s Stories,” all focusing on the beauty of music as it is connected to memory—our own personal stories. Tickets are $30 premium center seats, $25 side seats, $20 back/front seats, $15 seniors and students with ID (side seats), and can be purchased at www.deercreekchorale.org or by calling 410-575-3221. Limited tickets will be available at the door.
For those suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, the memories of their favorite songs are often the last to go, even after the names and faces of their loved ones. This concert celebrates the relationship with and need for music, especially for those suffering from Alzheimer’s. The pre-concert forum features composer Cohen as well as experts on Alzheimer’s and aging who will discuss the healing power of music for all ages. Memory for things—names, places, and facts—can be compromised, but memories from long ago can be preserved. The last movement of “Alzheimer’s Stories,” titled The Caregivers, says it all:
Find those you love in the dark and light.
Help the through the days and nights.
Keep faith.
They sense what they cannot show.
Love and music are the last things to go.
Sing anything.
All partners are proud to dedicate this performance to all those who have been the patients, caretakers, families, and friends affected by Alzheimer’s.
The Deer Creek Chorale, founded in 2007, is an intergenerational, volunteer chorus of all abilities and experience levels from the greater Baltimore and Southern Pennsylvania region, pursuing the beauty of choral music, community service, and personal enrichment. The Chorale has performed from Carnegie Hall, to the Forbidden City (Beijing), and has sung under guest conductors such as Tom Hall, Randall Stroope, Simon Carrington, Paul Head, among others. Its dual mission of choral artistry and community service is the core of each concert series, with this year’s cause being Alzheimer’s Awareness. The Chorale rehearses weekly in Jarrettsville, MD.
Featured conductor Professor Bruce Rogers is a giant in the American choral world and the Director of Choral Activities at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, CA. He directs the college’s award-winning Chamber Singers and the elite vocal jazz ensemble, Singcopation. Choirs under his direction have achieved top ranking in national and international competitions throughout the world. This year, two of his choirs perform at both the JEN National Conference in New Orleans and the ACDA National Convention in Minneapolis.
