World Premiere
Zanaida Stewart Robles:
Mass for Unaccompanied Choir
“The opportunity to complete my a cappella mass for the Southern Tier Singers’ Collective is a dream come true for me.”
Dr. Robles shares the following thoughts about the creation of her new Mass:
I conceived the music for my “Kyrie” when I was in high school. I was inspired by the “Agnus Dei” of Samuel Barber, to which I listened incessantly throughout my tumultuous senior year of high school and freshman year of college. I began fantasizing about writing a complete mass when I was in my early 20s while a soloist and section leader at All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, CA. The music program at All Saints was fundamental to my growth as a composer because I was immersed on a weekly basis in learning and performing music of western European master choral composers from across the centuries, especially Vaughan Williams, Byrd, Palestrina, Britten, Durufle, Mozart and J.S. Bach.
The opportunity to complete my a cappella mass for the Southern Tier Singers’ Collective is a dream come true for me. The fact that many of the singers in STSC are music educators in regional school systems who are also professional-level singers is exciting because it aligns perfectly with my interest in fostering connections between academia and the professional choral world. The fact that STSC is adept at performing new music as well as classic music by composers like Victoria and Vaughan Williams tells me that my work is in very good hands. I couldn’t be more thrilled for this opportunity to complete my a cappella mass for this fantastic ensemble.
Sunday, April 24, 2022, 7:30 pm
St. Patrick’s Church
9 Leroy Street
Binghamton, NY 13905