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History of the Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus The Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus was established by Jessamine E. Long in 1937 as the Buffalo Schola Cantorum. Ms. Long was succeeded in 1945 by Cameron Baird who guided the group to prominence during its formative years. Under Mr. Baird's baton, the Chorus became established as the premier choral ensemble in Western New York. The Chorus prospered through the years under a number of distinguished music directors including Willis Page, Joseph Wincenc, Robert Beckwith, Melvin Strauss, Frederick Burgomaster, and Peter Perret. For two decades, from 1979 until his death in 2001, Thomas Swan led the Chorus through a period of extraordinary growth. In 1986, Mr. Swan was the first recipient of the Cameron Baird Conductor's Chair, established through an endowment named to honor and remember Mr. Baird. Dr. Dale Adelmann succeeded Mr. Swan and led the group until his departure from Western New York in the summer of 2003. The Chorus is pleased to have named Dr. L. Brett Scott its music director and recipient of the Cameron Baird Conductor's Chair as of the 2004-05 season. The Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus, an independent non-profit organization, appears at various locations throughout Western New York including Artpark, Lancaster Opera House, and the Chautauqua Institution. The Chorus performs frequently with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, appearing in the Classics and Pops concert series and in special events. To reflect its close association with the Orchestra, the Chorus formally changed its name to Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus (BPC) in 1992. In celebration of its 50th anniversary season, the Chorus commissioned Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Dominick Argento to write a new choral work, Te Deum, which was premiered by the Chorus and Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra in 1988. In 1999 the Chorus presented the world premiere of Peace Requiem by Persis Vehar. In December 2000 the BPC was featured on National Public Radio in a performance of Handel's Messiah with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, under the direction of JoAnn Falletta. Other performances also conducted by Maestro Falletta have included Mahler's Symphony No.2 "Resurrection" and Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. For the past four seasons the Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus and the BPO have co-sponsored a concert at Kleinhans Music Hall that featured major choral works: Bach's B Minor Mass, Brahms' Ein Deutsches Requiem, Lukas Foss' With Music Strong, and Vaughan Williams' A Sea Symphony. A special program of the music of Mozart and Brahms marked the most recent collaboration, now a tradition. The Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus Chamber Singers is a group of 20-28 singers drawn from the full chorus. The Chamber Singers came into existence in 1995 so that the BPC could perform additional repertoire, and in venues that were not suitable for the full ensemble. Membership varies according to the style of music and the number of singers needed. Updated 12 October 2004 |