​The Master Chorale's 39th season includes four powerful concert collaborations with The Florida Orchestra, an inspiring educational program that will engage more than 1,000 students in Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties, and engaging community sing events. Performances with The Florida Orchestra will include Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana," Handel's "Messiah," Verdi's "Requiem," and a Celebrate Broadway concert series. 

Stay tuned for our full schedule announcement and information about our Summer Sing and Master Chorale Auditions, both taking place at the University of South Florida School of Music later this summer.

by Brian Hathaway

​Yes, Mahler is in the middle, book-ended by two Requiems.  The first is Maurice Durufle’s Requiem, a flowing piece of music based upon Gregorian chant.  The Master Chorale just completed a series of concerts with The Florida Orchestra featuring this French gem, an intimate work of about 40 minutes’ duration. 
​
The second bookend is Giuseppe Verdi’s Requiem, a work of considerable scope and drama written by Verdi primarily as a concert piece to honor his friend, poet Alessandro Manzoni on the first anniversary of his death.  It is dramatic and grand in scope with a performance duration of about 85 minutes.  The Master Chorale of Tampa Bay will perform this work on April 23rd in Sarasota with Gloria Musicae and the Sarasota Orchestra.

​​In the middle, we have Mahler in a work of no small proportion.  I have three recordings of Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 ("Resurrection"), and they all have performance durations of about 90 minutes.  The choral portion comprises about 16 minutes at the end of movement 5, but heavens, what music it is!  We will perform Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with The Florida Orchestra in only three weeks, on March 17-19.

It was several years later that I got a copy of Mahler’s Symphony No. 2.  The experience literally blew me away and quickly became one of my favorite symphonic works.  The lyrics, first encountered in “Urlicht”, another song taken from “Das Knaben Wunderhorn” in movement 4 pulled at my emotions: “O red Rose!  Man lies in direst need!  Man lies in deepest pain!  I would rather be in heaven!”  The Alto solo was in stark contrast to the power of the orchestra and caused a sense of peace to wash over me.

However, it was the fifth movement that held me transfixed, with a quiet choral entrance that builds to a final powerful climax.  As I read the lyrics from Friedrich Klopstock’s poem while I listened I found they spoke to my soul.  “What has come into being must perish!  What perished must rise again!”  I was so profoundly affected by these lyrics with their message of hope that I read them as part of the eulogy at my father’s funeral when he passed away in 2006.

​Now eight years after my first experience singing Mahler’s Second, I can approach it with the special joy that comes from combining with The Florida Orchestra and my colleagues in The Master Chorale of Tampa Bay to create a truly unforgettable musical experience.

by Brian Hathaway

​This is a tale of three friends named Mike, Brian and Ludwig.  It is a tale that transcends time and space, a tale of mortality and immortality.  It is a tale of things that last and things that don’t, of joy and sorrow, but mostly it is about friendship through music.  Let me start at the beginning.
 
I had just graduated from high school and as a boy from upstate New York was faced with changes my life.  For the first time in my life, I was going to be away from home for an extended period of time as I began my freshman year at the SUNY at Buffalo.  At the same time, my friend, Mike Debatt was facing a similar situation.  The boy from Brooklyn was away from home too as a part of that same freshman class.  We met each other when we joined the AFROTC Program.  As classmates, we got to know each other well and discovered that our interests intersected in many ways.  We both ended up as Political Science majors, and we both loved classical music.  Within two years we were roommates in an apartment near school.
 
As we shared that apartment, we also shared our interest in music.  Even with our meager resources as college students, we grew our collection of classical albums.  The real cherished albums were produced by either Angel Records or Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft, or DGG.  They usually had the finest orchestras and the greatest selection of repertoire.  Among the many composers we listened to, one of our favorites was Ludwig van Beethoven.  There were times when the three of us would gather in that apartment, Ludwig, Mike and me, sharing in some of the greatest music of the last two centuries.
 
In 1970, the focus on Ludwig van Beethoven became quite intense, as Beethoven’s 200th birthday would fall on December 16th, 1970.  I was always able to remember Ludwig’s birthday, as mine was one day earlier on December 15th.  On that day, we all gathered in the apartment and I was given several gifts to open.  I will never forget Mike’s gift.  It was a DGG boxed set of Beethoven’s nine symphonies, performed by the Berlin Philharmonic.  I was ecstatic! Beethoven’s birthday was going to be very special that year.
 
We spent many hours listening to that wonderful set.  Beethoven’s famous symphonies like the “Eroica”, the “Pastoral” and his monumental 5th were a joy to hear, articulated by one of the great Beethoven interpreters of that age, Herbert von Karajan.  Of all these symphonies, one stood out above all others, Beethoven’s 9th.  In a stroke of genius, Beethoven included a choral finale in the fourth movement based upon Schiller’s poem “An die Freude” or “Ode to Joy”.  The joining of orchestral and choral voices during the finale was a revolutionary step, but the product is simply amazing and unforgettable.  Ludwig, Mike and I became fast friends, cemented in a common love of Ludwig’s amazing 9th.
 
In less than two years, our friendship entered a new phase.  We graduated from college, accepted our USAF commissions and went to different parts of the country.  Mike went to Navigator Training in California.  I went off to Illinois to Aircraft Maintenance Officer Training.  In a way our lives intersected again, as we both ended up in the Strategic Air Command, Mike as a B-52 crew member in Georgia, and I as a Maintenance Officer in New Hampshire.  We still got together on a few occasions.  He was in my wedding party and I was in his.  We maintained contact with letters and phone calls as time went on.  We both ended up separating from the USAF and moved into civilian jobs.  Mike moved to Rhode Island and went into the investment community.  I moved to Saratoga Springs, New York and went into manufacturing.
 
Living in Saratoga had a neat benefit.  The Saratoga Performing Arts Center was only four miles from my home and was the summer home of the New York City Ballet and the Philadelphia Orchestra.  While there I had the chance to visit our friend Ludwig.  The Philadelphia Orchestra was performing Beethoven’s 9th!  I had never seen Beethoven’s 9th performed live and couldn’t wait to go to the concert.  What an experience!  As I sat on the lawn on a gorgeous summer night, I looked at the heavens above me while I was transcended by Schiller’s words and Beethoven’s music; “Ahnest du den Schopfer, Welt?  Such ihn uber’m Sternenzelt.  Uber Sternen muss ehr wohnen.”  Yes, I felt the creator, knowing that He dwelt beyond the stars.  O Freude, what joy!
 
As the years went by, our respective lives changed yet again.  I moved to Florida many years ago and began feeding my love of music by joining our church choir and singing.  Mike moved into management with his company and accepted a position as Branch Manager in Albany, New York, my hometown.  We had an opportunity to visit while we were on vacation in New York about fifteen years ago and had a chance to reminisce and share our friendship.
 
In 2005, I had yet another opportunity to visit with Ludwig.  The Florida Orchestra and The Master Chorale of Tampa Bay were performing Beethoven’s 9th.  Lynn and I went to the concert and savored that wonderful music yet again, but with a slightly different feeling as we knew several of the orchestra members and had friends who sang in the Master Chorale.  During that concert, I told myself that, should my schedule permit, I would love to be a part of the Chorale.
 
In late 2005, the lives of Mike and I intersected again.  Mike had been diagnosed with a brain tumor.  As he and his wife Jan sought treatment from doctors throughout the northeast, they were given the news that the tumor was inoperable.  They came to the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, where surgeons felt that they may be able to excise the tumor and offer Mike a chance to recover.  The surgery was scheduled for November.  Mike and I made tentative plans to meet for dinner once the surgery was complete.  Unfortunately, the surgery did not go as planned and complications set in.  The next time I saw Mike at Moffitt, he was in a coma from which he would not recover.  I did my best to support Jan and her family as she faced difficult decisions.  Mike was placed in a hospice facility in Dade City.  I made several trips to the Hospice to see Mike.  My last trip was the night before he passed away in January, 2006.
 
A year later in April, 2007, we all returned to the Dade City Hospice for a reunion.  Mike’s family had made a donation to the facility and was awarded a plaque to honor their contribution.  Lynn and I went to the reunion, where we met Mike’s former B-52 crew.  I decided to honor Mike by singing a song called “Eternal Father Strong to Save”, which asks help from God in caring for those in the military.  We all shared our memories of Mike, and I recounted the story of the Beethoven boxed set he gave to me which I still own and treasure.
 
In August of 2007, I learned that The Master Chorale of Tampa Bay was holding auditions for new singers.  Since my work schedule had changed and would permit me to attend rehearsals, I signed up to audition.  We were told to bring a favorite song to sing as part of the audition.  I selected “Eternal Father, Strong to Save”.  I was pleasantly surprised to hear from the Master Chorale that I passed the audition and was now a member of the ensemble. 
 
At the end of my third year in the Chorale, I learned that we were scheduled to perform Beethoven’s 9th in 2011.  Once again, I was ecstatic.  I would now have the opportunity to become even more intimate with Ludwig’s beloved 9th.  Since then I have had the honor of performing Beethoven’s 9th two more times, once with The Florida orchestra and once with the Cleveland Orchestra in Miami.
 
Oh, by the way, the last building I see before I turn into the USF School of Music parking lot on the way to Master Chorale rehearsal each week is the Moffitt Cancer Center.  Having spent so many hours there visiting Mike, I think of him every time I see it.
 
This week, we are in final rehearsal for the opening concert of The Florida Orchestra’s 2016-2017 season, featuring Poulenc’s “Gloria” and Beethoven’s beloved 9th Symphony.  150 voices are prepared to join with the Florida Orchestra and soloists as we put life into the notes printed on a page.  Under Maestro Michael Francis’ direction, we will combine our preparation with Dr. James K. Bass and Brett Karlin to create a memorable event for all in attendance to hear. 
 
I know it will be both memorable and emotional for me.  As I stand on the risers, my mind will go back to that apartment in Buffalo, the DGG boxed set, and a pair of friendships going back more than forty years.  Ludwig went on to be with the Creator centuries ago.  Ten years ago, Mike joined him.  I know that they are both watching and will be at that performance with all of us on that stage.
 
As for me, I will sing for Mike:  “Einem Freund gepruft im Tod”

by Brian Hathaway

by Brian Hathaway

​Let me begin my latest post with a story.  Every year since I joined The Master Chorale in 2007, there is a singer survey at the end of the concert season where we answer a series of demographic questions and offer our opinion about the season just past.  One of my favorite questions is:  “What orchestral and choral work would you like to perform with The Master Chorale?”  For the past five years I have given the same answer: “The Brahms German Requiem”.  At last that wish is coming true, for we will be offering Brahms' "A German Requiem" in concert with The Florida Orchestra on the weekend of March 11-13, 2016.
 
Although I had many of Brahms works in my listening collection, they focused more on his orchestral works.  Fortunately, many years ago I had a church choir director who challenged us musically and he introduced me to “How Lovely is Thy Dwelling Place.”  Being fairly new to choral singing, I found the piece a bit of a challenge, but I loved the sound of it, and shortly thereafter added the German Requiem to my listening library.

As we move through our musical journey to prepare for the performance of this work, there are some interesting elements that can promise an exceptionally memorable musical event. 
 
The first is the Florida Orchestra and its new Music Director, Michael Francis.  His love of choral music became apparent last year when we performed the Faure Requiem with the Orchestra.  Maestro Francis chose a more intimate orchestral score that made the choral portion of the score more apparent.  He also took additional steps to improve the acoustics at Mahaffey Theater to enhance the sound of the chorus more in that venue.  This fall, he chose The Bells by Rachmaninoff, a very difficult and infrequently performed choral work which we sang in Russian.  His enthusiasm for the Chorale was apparent through the rehearsals and performances, solidifying our artistic collaboration that began with the Faure Requiem.
 
Second, The Master Chorale has a long and storied history with the Brahms Requiem.  From 1986 to 1997, the Master Chorale performed the Brahms Requiem five times.  One of those performances in 1996 was with choral giant Robert Shaw at the podium.  Now, almost 20 years later, The Master Chorale will again present this wonderful work.
 
Third, our Music Director, Dr. Bass, wrote his Doctoral Thesis on Johannes Brahms, so we have at our podium every week one whose encyclopedic understanding of Brahms can only help us put our music into context with the message Brahms intended to deliver.
 
Finally, in 2012, Dr. Bass was Chorus Master for a recording of the Brahms Requiem by Seraphic Fire and the Professional Choral Institute leading to a GRAMMY nomination for this recording. In listening to that recording, I can see how Dr. Bass is applying the approach that made that recording fresh, innovative and memorable to our preparatory work.
 
With all these elements of success, it is up to us on the risers to apply our best efforts to make these performances memorable.  I for one, am extremely excited to be a part of these performances, for at last, my wish is coming true!

By Brian Hathaway

As I was considering how to start my latest blog post, I came to the word humanity, because making music is part of what makes us human.  Billy Joel stated “I think music itself is healing.  It’s an explosive expression of humanity.  It’s something we are all touched by.”  Making music is something that defines our humanity and probably first occurred as humans sought to recreate sounds that they heard.  John Koopman, in a 1999 article noted that “The voice is presumed to be the original musical instrument, and there is no human culture, no matter how remote or isolated, that does not sing.”

The Master Chorale recently completed singing in four concert presentations of Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana” with the Florida Orchestra, USF Chamber Singers, and the Tampa Bay Children’s Chorus.  With over 200 singers on the risers, we collaborated with the Florida Orchestra to present one of the most frequently performed choral works in the repertoire.  While many of the works we perform are sacred in origin, Carmina Burana most certainly is not.  Rather, it celebrates our humanity as we sing about love, desire, eating, drinking, and the arrival of springtime.

The concerts were a huge success and we received standing ovations and multiple curtain calls after each of the four concerts.  Many Chorale members recounted their own stories regarding the experience of their friends or family members who attended.  I was most interested in those who had never attended a live performance of Carmina Burana.  One member of the Chorale encountered a young woman who was moved to tears upon seeing this performed for the first time.  I had a friend who sings in my church choir come to the Friday performance who recounted to me that she was blown away by the performance.

In processing the concert experience, many Chorale members shared their impressions on social media.  A common thread through the conversation was one of unbridled gratitude, thankful that we were a part of this effort. The realization that we were joining together with others to create art that was much more than the sum of its parts was both exhilarating and humbling at the same time.  I heard or read this sentiment over and over again as I connected with my colleagues.  This mass of humanity on stage created a truly memorable experience for those who came to see and hear us.

What amazes me is that we are at our best when we are most decidedly human, where we step out of our day to day existence to create something noble and uplifting.  Out of that creation we are able to leave an indelible impression on people; one that I hope will encourage them to return to hear us again and bring a friend to share the experience.

That is why we are here.  That is why we sing.

Auditions for our 14-15 season officially begin today! Good luck to everyone! 

May this video of The Master Chorale of Tampa Bay and The Florida Orchestra rehearsing Beethoven's Symphony No. 9  from last fall inspire you as you are preparing for an audition or getting ready to return for another fantastic season. Shout out to the USF Chamber Singers who were also on stage with us for this amazing collaboration.

Here are a couple videos from our friends at the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus to get you excited about Saturday's music!  The Chorale will be performing both pieces with The Florida Orchestra this season.