Jameson Singers Concert – Press Release

LEXINGTON, MA–The Hancock Concert Series of Lexington presents theJameson Singers in a holiday concert on Saturday, December 5, at 4:00PM. Conducted by Jameson Marvin, the Jameson Singers will offer a program,Illuminare,  of festive a cappella music from Renaissance to recent, featuring masterworks by Palestrina, Vaughan Williams, Ockeghem, Bruckner, Sweelinck, and Britten, along with audience singing of favorite carols with the chorus.

The Jameson Singers, a sixty-voice chorus comprised of amateur singers, was formed by Jameson Marvin shortly after his retirement as Director of Choral Activities at Harvard University in 2010. They perform each year a December holiday concert and a varied spring program. Their repertoire spans a cappella gems and choral-orchestral masterworks including those of Schütz, Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Brahms and Fauré.

Featuring the characteristic attributes of Dr. Marvin’s choruses, the Jameson Singers have gained critical acclaim for their excellence in intonation, unified ensemble, and inspired, communicative singing. They were honored to sing at the Chorus America National Conference in Boston last June, and have been chosen to sing at the American Choral Directors Association Eastern Division Conference this February.

Susan Miron reviewed an April 2012 concert of the Jameson Singers entitled “Remembrance & Renewal” for The Boston Musical Intelligencer. It occurred one week after the Boston Marathon bombing: the packed, emotionally wrung-out audience sorely needed the soothing balm that sometimes only music can provide … beautifully performed … the music provided solace in piece after piece, culminating in a moving performance of Fauré’s sublime Requiem… the singers performed with impeccable intonation and blend … the dramatic deployment of dynamics was striking…. the Jameson Singers sang with passion.

Jameson Marvin is in his sixth season as Artistic Director of the Jameson Singers. During his thirty-two years as Director of Choral Activities at Harvard University, Harvard’s Choral Program developed an esteemed national reputation, serving beginning singers and advanced musicians. The Harvard Glee Club, Radcliffe Choral Society, and Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum, rose to be among the premier collegiate choruses in America. Dr. Marvin’s choral artistry is mirrored by his knowledge of style and performance practices of historical eras, and his insightful, communicative, inspiring performances. Since his retirement, in addition to directing the Jameson Singers, Dr. Marvin has enjoyed choral residencies at the Universities of Southern California, Oregon, Stanford, Michigan, Temple, Boston, and Yale, and in fall 2013 was Visiting Professor at Stanford University, conducting their choral ensembles. Raised in Glendale, California, he received his B.A. degree in Music Theory, History, and Composition from UC Santa Barbara, M.A. in Choral Conducting and Early Music Performance
from Stanford University, and D.M.A. in Choral Music from the University of Illinois.

The concert is presented at Hancock Church, 1912 Massachusetts Ave, on the Battle Green in Lexington. Free parking is available in the rear of the church. The church is fully handicap accessible. Admission is by donation. For more information, visit jamesonsingers.org or call the church at 781-862-4220.