Alexandra Grabarchuk | Zanaida Stewart Robles

“SONGS OF THE SLAVE” by Kirke Mechem will highlight the Spring Concert of The First United Methodist Church of Santa Monica on Sunday, May 6, at 7:30 p.m. The Chancel Choir, with guest singers from The Long Beach Chorale, the Los Angeles Concert Orchestra under the direction of Dr. James E. Smith, and organist Ty Woodward, will reprise their world premiere performance of this work from 1994. Originally commissioned by the Santa Monica church, it has since been performed over 100 times, world wide, including a recent performance in Carnegie Hall. Featured soloists will be Wayne Shepperd, bass-baritone, in the role of Frederick Douglass, and Zanaida Robles, soprano.

Kirke Mechem, composer, is often called “the dean of American choral composers.” Frederick Douglass is the central figure in this suite, based on material from Mechem’s opera, John Brown. Douglass, an escaped slave, became the greatest African-American leader of the nineteenth century; he was Brown’s friend for many years.

Also on the program will be the beautiful Requiem by Maurice Duruflé, with Alexandra Grabarchuk, mezzo-soprano.

Reception to follow in Simkins Hall.

View and share the concert flyer!

Suggested donation online or at the door: $10.00
Seniors and Children under 12: $5.00

Dear Friends,

Effective June 30th of this year, I will resign from my position as Artistic Director of the San Gabriel Valley Choral Company. This decision is one that I have struggled with, as SGVCC has meant so much to me over these last 5 years. The time seems right for this transition, as I have accepted a full-time position as choral instructor at Harvard-Westlake School in Studio City.

With SGVCC, I have been nurtured and supported, and I have grown exponentially as a conductor. My vision as an artistic director was realized and validated through my work with SGVCC – for this I am deeply grateful. We served children and the elderly in our community, collaborated with other arts and civic organizations, performed major works, sang a wide variety of styles, honored each other, and had so much fun! I have learned so much about non-profit arts management, board succession, fundraising, and staff management. Most of all, I have made beautiful music with a group of the most beautiful people on the planet. Our community is so special, and we should never ever take that for granted.

I have no doubt that under the leadership of the brilliant Dr. Alexandra Grabarchuk, SGVCC will continue to thrive and grow. As my work with the Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Project, Street Symphony, and the National Association of Negro Musicians continues, I look forward to remaining connected to SGVCC.

My final concert with SGVCC is this Saturday, June 24 at 7pm. Our concert entitled ”Route 66- Music and the All-American Highway” features jazz and blues, folk tunes, and rock ‘n’ roll songs that explore our relationship with this historic highway. It’s a choral celebration of America’s love affair with the open road and the stories we tell on the journey of life. Our children’s choir “Kids in Concert” will also be featured. Tickets are now available at the cost of $5 for children, $15 for students and seniors, and $20 for the general public. The concert will be held in the beautiful acoustical space of The Parish of Saint Luke, 122 S. California Avenue in Monrovia. More information can be found at www.choralcompany.org or by calling 818-802- 9620.

Yours truly,

Zanaida Robles