Lorelei Ensemble Competitors

Renowned for its artistic excellence, remarkable versatility of musical styles and adventurous programming, The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra is widely regarded as one of the finest chamber orchestras in the world. Entering its 58th season in September 2016, the SPCO has recently undergone transformational change with the opening of its new home, the Ordway Concert Hall, the addition of a new generation of players, and significant changes in the scope of its artistic aspirations and profile. Committed to championing new music, the SPCO is primarily an unconducted ensemble that works in close collaboration with a diverse series of artistic partners. The virtuoso musicians of the SPCO present more than 130 concerts and educational programs each year, and are regularly heard on public radio. Additionally, the SPCO reaches more than 200,000 listeners annually through its free online Listening Library. The SPCO has released 67 recordings, commissioned 146 new works, and tours nationally and internationally. The SPCO is nationally recognized for its commitment to broad community accessibility, innovative audience outreach efforts, and educational and family programming. Concerts are performed in venues across the Twin Cities area, a unique commitment to geographic accessibility for a major orchestra. The SPCO offers the most affordable tickets of any major orchestra in the United States, with over 50% of tickets available for $12 or less and free tickets for children ages 6-17. The SPCO’s award-winning CONNECT education program and Target® Free Family Music program provide engaging and educational experiences for thousands of Twin Cities children each year. The Liquid Music Series creates a space for innovative new projects and iconoclastic artists in unique presentation formats and invites adventurous audiences to discover the new and the fascinating within the flourishing landscape of contemporary chamber music.

For more than 60 years, the GRAMMY® Award-winning and revered Los Angeles Master Chorale has been a standard-bearer for choruses across America. Hailed for its powerful performances, technical precision, and artistic daring, the Master Chorale reaches more than 175,000 people a year through its concert series at the iconic Walt Disney Concert Hall, its international touring of innovative works, and its performances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and others. The choir is the nation’s largest professional chorus led by Artistic Director Grant Gershon. Its singers performed at the 97th Oscars® and are desired by legendary composers for their movie soundtracks. Their voices are currently heard in numerous films, including Avatar: Fire and Ash, Superman, Wicked, and Wicked: For Good. Its innovative and extraordinary learning programs include the renowned High School Choir Festival, the Oratorio Project, Voices Within, and Youth Chorus LA, all of which prepare future generations of choral singers and uplift communities through the transformative power of choral music. The Master Chorale is registered as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

The Grammy Award-winning vocal ensemble Chanticleer is known around the world as “an orchestra of voices” for its wide-ranging repertoire and dazzling virtuosity. Founded in San Francisco in 1978 by singer and musicologist Louis Botto, Chanticleer quickly took its place as one of the most prolific recording and touring ensembles in the world, selling more than one million recordings and performing thousands of live concerts to audiences around the globe. Rooted in the Renaissance, Chanticleer’s repertoire has been expanded to include a wide range of classical, gospel, jazz and popular music and to reflect a deep commitment to the commissioning of new compositions and arrangements. The ensemble has dedicated much of its vast recording catalogue to these commissions, garnering Grammy Awards for its recordings of Sir John Tavener’s Lamentations & Praises and the ambitious collection of commissioned works entitled Colors of Love. Chanticleer is the recipient of Chorus America’s Dale Warland Commissioning Award and the Chorus America/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming. During his tenure with Chanticleer, its Music Director Emeritus Joseph H. Jennings received the Brazeal Wayne Dennard Award for his contribution to the African American choral tradition. Named for the “clear-singing” rooster in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, Chanticleer continues to maintain ambitious programming in its hometown of San Francisco, including a large education and outreach program, and an annual concert series that includes its legendary holiday tradition “A Chanticleer Christmas.”