Local residents, Saint Michael's students perform on tour with Saint Michael's College Chorale

2009 Feb 5

Keelia Liptak, daughter of Alan and Ellen Liptak of Moretown, participated with the Saint Michael's College Chorale in a tour of performances in New York City, New Rochelle, N.Y., Larchmont, N.Y., and Fairfield, Conn. Liptak, a first-year student theater, major graduated from Harwood Union High School before coming to Saint Michael's, a liberal arts residential Catholic college located in the Burlington area of Vermont.

The 34 member Chorale, directed by Nathaniel G. Lew, SMC associate professor music, will team up with singers from Fordham University and Fairfield University for joint performances during their annual winter tour Feb. 20, 21 and 22.

The tour repertory consists largely of music of the settings of Psalm 150, "Alleluia," all new works composed by Vermont composers Troy Peters and David Horn, and by Saint Michael's 2005 graduate David Volpe.

On Friday, Feb. 20, Saint Michael's singers will join singers the Fordham University Chamber Singers, directed by Robert Minotti, for a concert at 8 p.m. in the Church of Saint Paul the Apostle, 405 West 59^th St. (at Columbus), New York, N.Y.

On Saturday, Feb. 21, the Saint Michael's College Chorale will sing for Mass at the Church of the Holy Family, 83 Clove Road, New Rochelle, N.Y., at 5 p.m. and they will perform a concert at Temple Israel, 1000 Pinebrook Boulevard, New Rochelle, N.Y., at 8 p.m.

Chorale member Katherine "Kate" Clark, is the daughter of Bruce and Barbara Clark of New Rochelle, N.Y., and Chorale Director, Dr. Nathaniel G. Lew is a native of Larchmont, N.Y.

On Sunday, Feb. 22, the SMC Chorale will sing for Mass at the Church of Saint Augustine, Larchmont, N.Y., at 9 a.m. and the SMC Chorale will sing a joint concert with the Fairfield University Glee Club, directed by Carole Maxwell, at the Quick Center for the Arts, Fairfield University, Fairfield, Conn., at 3 p.m., general admission $10; student admission $6.

The Saint Michael's College Chorale continues a tradition of singing that goes back over 50 years at the College. The ensemble has toured throughout the Northeast including a 2005 invited performance at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. The ensemble also sings regularly at College functions and Vermont churches. Its annual Christmas Concert has become one of the highlights of the holiday season in Burlington, drawing a large audience from throughout the area.

Chorale Director Nathaniel G. Lew was educated at Juilliard, Yale, Cambridge, and the University of California at Berkeley. Before coming to Saint Michael's College, he was known for his work with choruses and vocal ensembles in the San Francisco Bay Area. In addition to directing the Chorale, Dr. Lew teaches courses on music history and theory. His research investigates post-war British musical life. He is a member of the acclaimed 12-voice Vermont-based professional vocal ensemble Counterpoint.

Accompanist Annemieke Spoelstra, classically trained in the Netherlands, has, since 2004, been a U.S. resident in South Burlington, Vermont. She performs solo, teaches piano at Saint Michael's College, is staff accompanist at the Boston Conservatory, and coaches vocalists and instrumentalists. She is a member of the Vermont Contemporary Music Ensemble.

Saint Michael's College, www.smcvt.edu, founded in 1904 by the Society of St. Edmund and headed by President John J. Neuhauser, is identified by the Princeton Review as one of the nation's Best 368 Colleges. A liberal arts, residential, Catholic college, Saint Michael's is located just outside of Burlington, Vermont, one of America's top college towns, and less than two hours from Montreal. As one of only 270 institutions nationwide with a prestigious Phi Beta Kappa chapter on campus, Saint Michael's has 2,000 full-time undergraduate students, some 500 graduate students and 200 international students. In recent years Saint Michael's students and professors have received Rhodes, Woodrow Wilson, Guggenheim, Fulbright, National Science Foundation and other grants, and Saint Michael's professors have been named Vermont Professor of the Year in four of the last eight years. The college is currently listed as one of the nation's Best Liberal Arts Colleges in the 2009 U.S. News & World Report rankings.

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