Chorus Angelicus, the internationally acclaimed children's choir founded and directed by Grammy-winner Paul Halley, delivers a polished presentation of beautiful choral repertoire from around the world. Last heard on a Telarc release with such luminaries as Meryl Streep, Dawn Upshaw, and the London Symphony Orchestra, this accomplished ensemble shines in a new compilation of their most vibrant repertoire from Serbia and Russia to South Africa and the Dominican Republic. Sophisticated interpretations of the styles and languages of twelve different countries, and the unusual instrumentation on accompanied pieces, create a distinctive tone of authenticity and atmosphere. Opening with the title cut, "Untraveled Worlds", a new composition by Paul Halley based on the Tennyson poem "Ulysses", the listener is immediately engaged upon a magical journey to distant worlds.
About Chorus Angelicus:
CHORUS ANGELICUS (The Angelic Choir) the internationally acclaimed children’s choir, has impressed audiences with the best of choral music, both sacred and secular, since its founding in 1991 by Paul Halley. Artists-In-Residence at Trinity Episcopal Church in Torrington, CT, the ensemble comprises fifty boys and girls who hail from towns throughout southwestern New England
In an annual season of twenty-five concerts the chorus performs a large and varied repertoire, from the classics of choral literature to contemporary and newly commissioned compositions. Performances have included collaborations with Gaudeamus, the Battell Chamber Orchestra, the Hartford Symphony, and the Paul Winter Consort in venues such as Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood, Boston’s Symphony Hall, The Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York, and The Battell Stoeckel Music Shed, Norfolk, CT. Chorus Angelicus has toured to Florida, the Pacific Northwest, Nova Scotia, and Ireland, and is frequently invited to perform at international choral workshops and music festivals. Chorus Angelicus and Gaudeamus were selected to perform at the 1999 inauguration ceremony of the Governor of Connecticut, and the choirs were featured in a documentary by Connecticut Public Television to highlight the choirs’ extraordinary, inner-city concert series Music For A Great Space, free concerts in the architectural splendor of Connecticut’s most notable urban churches. NBC’s news special of the choirs’ beloved Christmas Angelicus concerts has resulted in the annual broadcast of the live performances of this Christmas concert series by National Public Radio.
About Paul Halley:
PAUL HALLEY, M. A. Cantab, FRCO, ARCT, was born in Romford, England in 1952 and received his early musical training in Ottawa, Canada. At the age of sixteen, he was made an Associate of the Royal Conservatory of Toronto. Having been awarded the organ scholarship at Trinity College, Cambridge, Halley received his M.A. with prizes in composition and performance, and was made a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists, winning first prize in the College examinations. Via a circuitous route involving two years teaching in Jamaica, W.I., Halley became Organist and Choirmaster at The Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City where he served for twelve years, from 1977 to 1989, transforming the Cathedral’s music program into a rich combination of classical and contemporary music.
Concurrent with his tenure at the Cathedral, Halley became a principal member of The Paul Winter Consort, and earned six Grammy Awards for his contributions as featured writer and performer on many Consort recordings. Following his departure from the Cathedral in 1989, Halley settled in rural northwestern Connecticut and founded Joyful Noise, Inc., the non-profit organization which administers the activities and tours of the children’s choir, Chorus Angelicus, and the adult ensemble, Gaudeamus. In 1999, Halley became Director of Music at Trinity Episcopal Church, Torrington, CT where he inaugurated the Choral and Organ Scholars program in conjunction with Yale University’s Institute of Sacred Music. In 2007, Halley relocated to Nova Scotia to become Music Director at St. George’s Anglican Church, the Chapel of the University of King’s College, and Atlantic School of Theology.
Halley’s choral and instrumental compositions are distributed internationally by Pelagos Incorporated, the recording, music publishing, and arts management company for which he acts as Creative Director. Halley’s compositions have been performed and licensed by many notable artists and organizations including Sony Entertainment, Windham Hill/BMG Music, the New Jersey Symphony, John Williams and the Boston Pops Orchestra, The Louisville Symphony, Canadian Brass, Margie Gillis, Jennifer Muller and The Works, and numerous international band and choral festivals. Halley has received an ASCAP Composer Award each year since 1998, and his recordings and performances are frequently aired on NPR and CBC. Halley creates three to four new, commissioned works per year, and performs frequently as a guest artist in venues throughout North America.
Halley lives with his wife and business partner, Meg Race, on the South Shore of Nova Scotia. They enjoy exploring the islands of Mahone Bay in a traditional Cape Cod catboat which rejoices in the name, “Magnificat”.
REVIEWS
from The New York Times
"…so clear, so tight an ensemble, sounding as one voice at times, and the quality of that sound almost as a resonating glass of water." - Valerie Cruice
from Maine Public Radio MPBN
“This CD demonstrates what can be done by young performers in even the most rural setting, with proper direction and inspiration. A SUPERB recording, both in terms of performance and recording technique. Bravo!!” - Barry Darling, Classical Music Host, MPBN
from The American Organist Magazine
"This recording derives both the title and theme from the text of the opening selection, taken from Tennyson’s “Ulysses”: “…all experience is an arch wherethrough / Gleams that untraveled world whose margin fades / For ever and for ever when I move.” As a meditation on human longing and the mystical experience of alternative realities, “Untraveled Worlds” as a whole succeeds to a degree that far surpasses the impact of any single work therein contained. That this is accomplished against a stylistic background of New Age flavor is perhaps not surprising. Halley is obviously at home with the fluidity of this genre, and he uses it here with masterful skill to guide the listener on an evocative tour through time and space. Chorus Angelicus lives up to its name, delivering texts in any of eight languages with the clarity and precision of a single cherubic voice. For harried souls in troubled times, “Untraveled Worlds” offers a room with a panoramic view of images beckoning from beyond the scope of everyday experience.” - Jennifer Kolmes
from ``Choral Traditions'' & ``Orgelwerke''
WCNY-FM, Syracuse, WUNY-FM, Utica, WJNY-FM, Watertown
"WHERE have you all been hiding this incredible chorus?? I was reading through the program notes and noticed that they have been in existence since about 1991. I placed the disc into my computer and listened as I was working on some projects and - was just blown away!! Not only is the blend of their voices perfect, but the musical message expressed by these young singers is absolutely awesome! The sound of the full chorus just wraps around you like angel wings and lifts one's spirits to a higher level. That's the best way that I can describe my feelings when I was introduced to this intriguing CD release. And then, there is the production aspect -- outstanding, to say the least. You should receive some kind of an award for this release.
Thank you for this wonderful introduction to Chorus Angelicus.....may there be many more CDs in their future." -Bonnie Beth Derby, Program Coordinator/Producer/Announcer/Host
from the author of two volumes on Poulenc
“Selected Correspondence” and “Music, Art and Literature”
"I am stunned silly by the beauty of Chorus Angelicus. What an achievement! The voices and the musicianship are nothing short of outstanding. And thrilled I was to hear, on "Untraveled Worlds", the little Poulenc Ave Maria, exquisitely sung, in the perfect Poulenc medium. He always loved more than any other sound the glory of children's voices. I think he would have been absolutely ecstatic to hear this rendition." - Sidney Buckland, United Kingdom
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