Start the holiday season with a very special event! The Moscow Boys Choir, considered one of the most prestigious all male choirs in Russia, gives a performance at St. Joseph Church, Lake Linden on December 1 (the Wednesday of the first week of winter quarter). The concert will begin at 7:00 p.m. to accommodate families with school-age children. In a special "Millennium Christmas Around the World" program, the choir will present traditional Russian holiday music, excerpts from Handel's Messiah, and holiday favorites from around the world. For tickets call the Performing Arts Ticket Center at 487-3200 (Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.) or stop by the Memorial Union Box Office (487-3200, Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.) or the SDC Central Ticket Office (487-2073, Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m.)
The first week of winter quarter at Michigan Tech will also feature a second seasonal concert on Sunday, December 5. The Windham Hill Winter Solstice Concert will include four Windham Hill recording artists-DavidArkenstone, Liz Story, Lisa Lynne, and Sean Harkness-all performing solo as well as ensemble pieces.
Founded in 1957, the Moscow Boys Choir is under the direction of artistic director Ninel Kamburg, a winner of the coveted "Merited Worker of Arts of Russia" award, an honor given to a very few outstanding artists who have made great contributions in the development of arts and culture. Members of the choir attend a special school, which provides both general education and musical training. Being selected as a member of the touring ensemble is not easy. Handpicked from over 400 students at their school in Moscow, these highly talented youngsters may have the "voices of angels," but they must also have the discipline to match the talent. "There are no lifestyle advantages," says Mrs. Kamburg. "They must work and study like everyone else." The boys traditionally begin their life in music as early as age five, but are not allowed to perform for audiences until they are nine years old.
The Moscow Boys Choir enjoys an international reputation for excellence. On one of their many tours to Europe, they appeared in a Command Performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London for members of the British Royal Family, an invitation considered to be a great honor. They have also toured France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, and Holland. In their homeland they are active in choir festivals, performing in the Moscow Music Festival dedicated to contemporary Russian music as well as the International Festival of Boys Choirs. They also perform at the famous Bolshoi and Stanislavsky Theatres in Moscow and with the Presidential Orchestra at the Kremlin and the Moscow Symphony Orchestra at the Moscow Conservatory.
This performance is part of the Michigan Tech Great Events Series coordinated by the University Cultural Enrichment Department (487-2844),with production assistance from the MTU Student Entertainment Board, and made possible through funding from the MTU Committee for Campus Enrichment and the Michigan Tech Fund.
11/24/99