Jason Tramm To Conduct Faure's Requiem In Morris Choral Society's 45th Season Finale

Noted American conductor and MCS Music Director Jason Tramm will begin the Morris Choral Society's 45th Season Finale with the exquisite music of Gabriel Faure's Requiem in d minor, Op. 48 in a concert entitled "Rebirth and Renewal: A Celebration of Spring" Saturday May 12th at 8PM at the historic Methodist Church on the Green in Morristown, New Jersey. The concert program will continue with works by noted contemporary composers Ola Gjeilo, Gwyneth Walker, Dan Forrest and Morten Lauridsen, as well as renown 20th century composers Samuel Barber and Randall Thompson.

Jason Tramm's affinity for the requiem genre, particularly those works by composers of the 19th-20th century, became readily apparent when PBS affiliate NJN presented Tramm conducting the New Jersey State Opera Orchestra in "Verdi Requiem: Live from Ocean Grove." The concert aired prime time throughout NJN's televised network in New Jersey and sections of Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut and Delaware. Tramm's well received HDTV performance of Verdi's work, which critics often refer to as an "opera in ecclesiastical robes," merited a regional Emmy nomination.

In contrast to the requiems of earlier composers (a musical form which dates back to the late 15th century, often featuring choral melodies taken from Gregorian chants) requiems written after the 18th century incorporated complex choral singing, orchestral accompaniment and the use of solo voices - eminently suited to Tramm's conducting strengths. Drawing upon his diverse experience and success in the choral, symphonic and operatic repertoire Tramm blends the musical demands of post 18th century requiems with apparent mastery and insight.

With the MCS presentation of the Faure's Requiem in d minor, Op. 48. - composed expressly for chorus, orchestra, organ and two solo voices - Tramm will underscore the evolving thematic nature of the Requiem, which moved from a strictly liturgical presentation of set prayers sung as a Latin Mass in honor of the dead, to a broader humanist expression -which manifested itself in a wider selection of texts and the inclusion of women's voices, which had been forbidden by the church.

Tramm observed that conducting the Faure Requiem in close proximity to his recent New York performance of Brahms "Ein deutsches Requiem, Op. 45" or German Requiem proved to be both serendipitous and insightful. "Although he did not envision his music sung in the vernacular, Faure's work bears striking similarity to Brahms Requiem. Both works have seven movements, feature a baritone and a soprano soloist and orchestra. In both works the choir sings four of the seven movements alone. Perhaps even more meaningful is the way Faure, the quintessential French gentleman, embodies Brahms's agnostic, even iconoclastic, humanist approach to the requiem genre, sharing Brahms focus on the living rather than the dead" said Tramm.

"It's a privilege to conduct the Faure Requiem with the Morris Choral Society together with the musicians of the MidAtlantic Opera Chamber Orchestra, organ soloist Michael Shane Wittenberg and our featured guest soloists mezzo soprano Maya Hoover and baritone Jonathan Scott in the very church where an unfortunate fire and the disruption of services became the impetus to form the Morris Choral Society forty-five years ago. It's also an honor to have MCS founder and current MCS chorister Wayne Walters singing as a member of the chorus in this concert as well.

ABOUT THE MORRIS CHORAL SOCIETY

The Morris Choral Society celebrates its 45th year as one of Northern New Jersey's oldest and most active and beloved not for profit arts organizations dedicated to enhancing community life by performing and presenting the highest quality classical choral repertoire from the last three centuries.

Since its founding in 1973 the Morris Choral Society (MCS) has dedicated itself to the residents of Morris County and has played a significant role in Northern New Jersey's artistic community and has been nominated by its peer's numerous times for Discover Jersey Arts People's Choice Award, Choral Group Division.

Traditionally each performance season includes two major concerts as well as several concert appearances at many of Morristown's annual celebrations: Independence Day, the historical Holly Walk, its popular Fall Festival on the Green, and First Night. The MCS has performed with Judy Collins in her Christmas Show; with Dave Brubeck in La Fiesta de la Posada, at the Mayo Performing Arts Center. The Morris Choral Society has received international recognition performing successful concerts in England in 1990, Ireland in 1994, Scotland and Wales in 1996, France in 1998 and Italy in the summer of 2000. The MCS has been represented by "ambassadorial" choral contingents in multi-choral units in Eastern Europe in 1997 and 2000. Over the past 5 decades the MCS has assembled a vast and varied musical repertoire, the cornerstone of which is an impressive library of music from the Renaissance to the present. Since 2010 the Morris Choral Society sponsors an annual scholarship open to New Jersey residents or students currently attending a New Jersey school, age 19 or older who are pursuing a major or course of study in one of the following disciplines: vocal performance, vocal conducting, or music education with a major in voice.

MCS is home to the popular sextet, Express Male a lively, fun-filled sextet with a dazzling repertoire consisting of serious choral pieces, traditional gospel songs, Broadway favorites and a variety of popular tunes. Formed four years ago as an independent vocal ensemble within The Morris Choral Society, Express Male continues to entertain audiences at major MCS concerts and is featured in concerts throughout the region.

The MCS is funded in part by the Arts Council of the Morris Area through the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional funding has also been provided by the Arts Council of the Morris Area/Dodge Foundation Partnership. To learn more about the Morris Choral Society and its programming visit www.morrischoralsociety.org.

ABOUT JASON TRAMM

Morris Choral Society's Music Director Jason Tramm is recognized as one of the most dynamic young conductors on the podium today. Appointed to the position in 2016 Tramm has led the MCS in the New Jersey premiere of Karl Jenkin's "The Peacemakers" in 2017 as part of MCS Spring Concert "Peace, Triumphant Peace."

Tramm also serves as Director of Music in Residence of the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association for the past 11 years, where he leads the choral, orchestral, and oratorio performances in the 6500-seat historic Great Auditorium, appearing in two National Public Radio broadcasts with organ virtuoso, Gordon Turk and orchestra. The 2009 HDTV broadcast presentation with PBS affiliate NJN, "Verdi Requiem: Live from Ocean Grove" with Tramm at the podium, garnered a regional Emmy Award nomination. Tramm is an Assistant Professor at Seton Hall University, College of Communication and the Arts where he leads the University, Choir, Chamber Choir and teaches voice and conducting.

Tramm currently serves as conductor and Artistic Advisor for the Adelphi Orchestra and principal conductor of the MidAtlantic Opera with whom he made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2015. A frequent guest conductor, Maestro Tramm has led operatic and symphonic performances in Albania, Hungary, Italy and Romania. In his 2017 Narnia Festival debut Tramm conducted the Festival's premiere productions of Puccini's Gianni Schicchi and Suor Angelica. This past October 27, 2017 Tramm conducted the second installment of his classical concert trilogy dedicated to music as an instrument of peace, inspired by the artistic mandate of Leonard Bernstein, in "Prayer for Peace: The Power of One Voice" at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC). www.jasontramm.net/