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News & Updates

Lux to Record New All-Mealor Album

5/14/2022

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After a year of discussions and planning, Lux is thrilled to announce that we will be recording a brand new album of new works from renowned composer Paul Mealor! Mealor will be joining us for the recording, which will be in late July 2022. Entitled Lead, Kindly Light, the album will include many unrecorded works, including some world premieres, next to a few of his most celebrated pieces.

On the project, director Robby Napoli said, "It's really a surreal feeling getting to be a part of this project. So many of us who started Lux together grew up listening to [Tenebrae's Mealor album] A Tender Light, and that played such a large part in inspiring us to take that next step with our love of choral music. To have the opportunity to record this new music for the next generation of choral musicians to enjoy is an absolute privilege."

Lux's collaborations with Mealor began during our virtual season, Songs From Home, during which we had the pleasure of recording his well-loved piece, She Walks in Beauty. Aside from just the virtual recording, Mealor and Napoli sat down to discuss the piece, the beginnings of Paul's career, and some of the projects he has been a part of recently. Afterwards, the two got to talking and decided that they wanted to collaborate further, this time with a much bigger project: a full-length album of Mealor's music.

"I have had the great pleasure of working with this brilliant group of young singers a number of times and have really enjoyed and been musically and artistically enriched every time," said Mealor, "This is certainly a CD/Download you'll want to get."

The track list will feature the title track, Lead, Kindly Light, O Beata Trinitas, i carry your heart with me, Lead Me, Lord, and the aforementioned She Walks in Beauty
, among others. For more information on the release of the album, be sure to follow Lux (@choirlux) and Paul Mealor (Facebook) on social media.
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Paul Mealor meets Lux members for the first time in 2017.
(Left to right: Robby Napoli, John-Paul Teti, Thomas Rust, Paul Mealor, Bernadette Tirador, Anya Trudeau)
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Lux to Record Holmes Commission

1/20/2022

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Amidst a flurry of snow- and Covid-related cancellations and postponements, Lux is excited to announce that they will be recording their most recent commission for a commercial album, scheduled for release from Innova Recordings in 2022. The commission, which premiered virtually in December 2020, is a piece called Night,​ by undergraduate composer Christen Holmes.

A composer and french hornist, when Lux approached Holmes about writing a piece for their fully virtual Christmas event, ​Christmas From Home, they jumped at the chance. The goal was to create an aleatoric chant melody that could be performed almost like a round or canon, with singers starting at any point. Lux recorded the melody separately during quarantine, then combined the melody with recorded bass drones, and created a platform for listeners to create their own aleatoric version of the piece, which you can find here.
This coming Sunday, Lux will record the piece once more, this time not from their homes, but at the University of Maryland's Gildenhorn Recital Hall, at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. The recording will be featured alongside works by more students from UMD's composition studio.

"This is a fantastic opportunity for the young composers at the University of Maryland, and we couldn't be more excited to play a role in the project," said Lux's director, Robby Napoli. "We've been lucky enough to work with a handful of UMD composers in different capacities, and I can say that this isn't a release you'll want to miss. There's some very impressive work coming from these undergrad composers, and we'll no doubt be seeing more performances and recordings of their music after they graduate."

The project is being headed by UMD Professor Robert L. Gibson, thanks to the generous donations of an anonymous donor. ​
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Tenor Zach Taylor to Present Recital

7/9/2021

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After a drought of in-person performances, tenor Zach Taylor will be presenting Songs of Peace, Love, and Prayer, a joint recital with Baltimore-area soprano Jemeyah Bagby and in collaboration with St. Joseph Parish of Cockeysville, Maryland, featuring Esther Lee (piano) and Dr. Lynn Trapp (organ) as accompanists. The recital will feature selections by a diverse range of composers such as Rosephanye Powell, H. Leslie Adams, Richard Strauss, Amy Beach, and Handel. A free will offering will be taken for the performers, both of whom will soon be departing for graduate programs in different states. If you are in the Baltimore area, we hope you get a chance to see Zach perform in person this Sunday, July 11th at 4pm at St. Joseph Parish, located at 100 Church Ln., Cockeysville, Maryland. If you are not in the area or unavailable at that time, you can also view the livestream of the recital by clicking the link below.
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Soprano Beth Ann Talks Recital

4/30/2021

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Just a few weeks after her Junior Recital, our very own Beth Ann Zinkievich joined us to talk about it! Find out what preparation for a Covid-era recital looks like and more below, and when you're done, watch the full recital right here using the button below! You can also find the program order and texts & translations, as well!
watch full recital
program
text & translations
Congratulations on an amazing recital! Before we dig into that, let’s talk about some of your experience leading up to the junior recital milestone--what have been some of your favorite experiences studying music in college thus far?
I’ve had so many wonderful musical experiences in college that I can’t even begin to pick which ones are my favorite. There have certainly been a number of memorable performances that I could talk about, but I also really just enjoy going to my voice lessons each week. It’s always exciting when I have a breakthrough in a lesson that changes the way in which I sing something!

Besides your recital, what are you most excited about this year? 
I’ve had a lot of great experiences this year despite the pandemic, but I’m honestly just ready for the school year to be over.

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What's your favorite piece on your recital? Why?
My favorite pieces to work on were the Clara Schumann lieder. Because I can’t have a live accompanist at my lessons right now, I recorded my own accompaniments for these pieces, so it was really cool to learn them from both a vocal and pianistic standpoint. 

If there’s only one thing you want audience members to get out of your recital, what would it be?
I don’t think there’s any one thing that I want people to get out of my recital. I just hope they get something out of it!

You got to prepare and perform this alongside a classmate of yours--tell us a bit about that experience and what it was like collaborating on a joint-recital!
Especially after not being able to sing in-person with others for so long, it was really, really exciting to collaborate with my friend Helen on this recital. The first time that we rehearsed our duets in person, I could barely make it through them because I was smiling so much. It was also just really nice to have someone else to lean on throughout the whole experience.

How was the recital process for you, overall? What did you have to do to prepare, and how do you feel about it all?
I was really scared that I wasn’t going to be able to memorize all of my music because memorization has never been a strength of mine. However, after working on my recital repertoire for more than a semester, I felt confident going into my recital that I knew the music as well as I possibly could have.
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Amanda Densmoor to Perform on Virtual Recital

4/11/2021

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Just days after Beth Ann Zinkievich's junior recital, Amanda Densmoor will be performing on yet another University of Maryland recital! The soprano will be featured on doctoral candidate Alex Chan's piano recital, which includes works by Samuel Barber, Leonard Bernstein, and Ned Rorem, among others. Entitled Unusual Texts, the recital features art songs which have been composed on non-poetic texts. The free recital will be streamed on Vimeo on Wednesday, April 14, at 8PM.

While you wait, enjoy a preview video from their rehearsal including Alex Chan, Alfonso Hernandez, Colin Doyle, and our own Amanda Densmoor!
livestream
recital program
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Lux Wins Two Wammies

4/2/2021

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In a year riddled with virtual performances and other compromises, we feel so fortunate to announce that we've won two Wammie Awards! The Wammie Awards is a 33-year-old award show aimed at recognizing DC, Maryland, and Virginia area artists and musicians for their artistic works and impact across our region. 

We've been honored with both Best Choral Album for My Lord Has Come, and Best Choral Group. We're so thankful for all of the singers, collaborators, recording engineers, donors, and volunteers who've played a role in our young history. We couldn't have done this without the support of all those in the Lux family!
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Beth Ann Zinkievich to give junior recital

3/28/2021

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On April 10, 2021, soprano Beth Ann Zinkievich will be giving her Junior Recital alongside fellow University of Maryland junior, Helen Mann (soprano). Featuring music spanning over 300 years, and composers like Bach, Schumann, Ravel, and Fauré, this recital is sure to please; and as if that wasn't enough, the duo finishes things off with a Sondheim set, featuring songs from Into the Woods, Follies, and Saturday Night. 

The recital will be available virtually via YouTube livestream on Saturday, April 10, 2021 at 5pm, which you can watch right from this page! You can find the livestream in the embedded video below. For full-screen viewing, click the title of the video and select the full-screen option. Use the buttons below to access the program, as well as texts & translations.
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texts & translations
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Lux Announces Board of Directors

2/1/2021

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After months of careful discussion and planning, we are pleased to introduce the first members of our new Board of Directors! To continue our organizational growth and strengthen our dedication to our mission, we decided it was time to bring in some experts from across the nation.
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Two of the three board members were able to join the Executive Committee's first meeting of the year in January, after which Artistic Director Robby Napoli said, "I'm so excited to be working with such incredible people who share our passions for quality, accessibility, education, and inclusivity in choral music. Their experiences are going to bring a lot to the table; and we can't wait to get started."
meet the board
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Lux Nominated for Two Wammie Awards

1/4/2021

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We are excited to announce that Lux Choir has been nominated for two Wammie Awards! Lux has received a nomination for Best Choral Group; and our Christmas album, My Lord Has Come, has received a nomination for Best Choral Album. To vote, you must create an account on the Wammie Awards website here. Voters must be residents of Maryland, DC, or Virginia to be considered eligible. After registering and confirming your email, you can go to the awards hub and vote for the artists or works nominated for each award. You can vote for as many nominees as you feel are deserving for each award; however, you may only vote once. To find and vote for Lux, you can search either by award or by group. Voting ends on January 31st, after which finalists will be announced for each award. Winners will then be selected from the groups of finalists by a panel of 50+ regional music industry professionals.

The Wammie Awards is a 32-year-old awards show curated by The MusicianShip, a DC-area organization dedicated to the enrichment of youth lives through music. The Wammie Awards aim to celebrate music creatives from DC, Maryland, and Virginia and highlight their work and their impact on the region. You can read more about the Wammie Awards by visiting their website here.

click here to register to vote for the Wammie awards
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Cole Reyes Named Composition Contest Winner

12/14/2020

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After reviewing 44 submissions from 11 countries, totaling over 3 hours of music, Lux's panel of judges for their first-ever composition contest has named a winner: Cole Reyes. The winning piece, Alleluia (The Rose), is a fresh and evocative setting of the famous text There is No Rose. 

Lux Manager Emily Shallbetter, a judge of the contest, was "so impressed by so many of the submissions [Lux] received," and hopes that "all of our applicants enjoyed writing their pieces as much as I enjoyed listening to them."

On his winning piece, Reyes said, "I decided to use a classic Christmas text, There Is No Rose mostly because of its juxtaposition of English and Latin. We have, standing side-by-side, the old and the new." This contrast of old and new seems wholly fitting as the final part of Lux's Christmas From Home program, made up of both ancient chant and a newly-composed chant from local composer Christen Holmes, commissioned by Lux.

"This piece seeks to symbolize the current state of the winter season," Reyes says, "The month of December is a time full of holidays, religious and secular — a time filled with loved ones and gifts. We create traditions that we stand by year after year. This piece is a tribute to the evolution of traditions."


Cole Reyes's Alleluia (The Rose) will be premiered virtually as part of Lux's audience-interactive Winter Season, Christmas From Home.
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