FROM GUEST CURATOR JAMES BASSI

Hello!

Welcome to Part 4 of this listening series. As I continue to reflect on my experiences in high school chorus, it seemed appropriate that I include the first work I used as an audition piece.

As I mentioned last time, the District and All-State programs drew together talented young musicians from all over the state — Massachusetts in my case — to perform a special combined concert. Besides chorus, we also got to hear Orchestras, Symphonic Bands and Jazz Bands in these concerts — though there was no orchestra in my high school. However, in my junior year, I had the thrill of singing the Gloria from Bach’s B Minor Mass with the Massachusetts All-State Choir and Orchestra, conducted that year by E. Wayne Abercrombie, long-time choral director at University of Massachusetts in Amherst. What a transformative experience that was for me; to perform with a real live orchestra, and to sing a five-part fugue, no less!

Today’s choral offering is by Mendelssohn. This was my audition piece for Massachusetts District chorus in my sophomore year. Getting to sing that particular concert opened up exciting musical doors for me that I will happily reveal to you next time. (A bit of suspense doesn’t hurt.) Meanwhile, enjoy this beautiful choral miniature.

— James Bassi