We're Vocal

Last Thursday more than 600 local middle-school students and teachers gathered at the Center for the 2010 Southern California Vocal Association Choral Festival. Schools from Santa Ana, Covina, Baldwin Park, Costa Mesa and Placentia participated in this year's festival, which was hosted by the Center in collaboration with Pacific Chorale. Started in 1993, the festival provides non-competitive concert-style opportunities for young singers to hear other ensembles and receive valuable evaluations and advice from professional adjudicators.

A big congratulations to all the singers and their teachers!

Photos: Choir students from McFadden Intermediate School in Santa Ana; courtesy of Gregory Ellis.

Hear the Concert Organ on Pipedreams

The William J. Gillespie Concert Organ (C.B. Fisk Opus 130) is currently being featured on public radio broadcasts of the show, Pipedreams. Click on the link: http://pipedreams.publicradio.org/listings/2009/0920/ to listen to selections from the October 25, 2008 performance by organist Mary Preston with Pacific Chorale, conducted by the Chorale’s artistic director, John Alexander, along with cuts from the recently released inaugural CD recording of the Gillespie Concert Organ by Frederick Swann (Gothic Recordings G-49268). The performance includes works by MacMillan, Finzi, Kodaly, Cocker, Wachner, Mendelssohn, Swann, Mulholland, Paulus and Wilhousky. On the Web site there is an extended version of the show for listeners to enjoy.

A huge thanks to Pipedreams host Michael Barone for his hard work in putting the show together!