As much as I try to avoid "churnalism" (cut + paste --> press release) sometimes deadlines necessitate it. Some breaking news, then, on the classical music front: Robert Ray is retiring. Be sure to catch Robert Ray next month when he conducts his last Black History Month program for SLSO. Details straight from SLSO, below. --Stefene Russell
Dr. Robert Ray, Director of the Saint Louis Symphony IN UNISON® Chorus since its inception in 1994, announced his retirement today. Ray’s final performance in Powell Hall with both the Chorus and the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra will be the annual Lift Every Voice: A Black History Month Celebration concert on Friday, February 19 at 7:30 p.m. His final concert with the In Unison Chorus will be April 25, 2010 at the Westside Missionary Baptist Church.
“It’s been wonderful,” Ray said of his 15 years as director of the In Unison Chorus. “The Chorus has been a remarkable statement for our Symphony’s commitment to diversity. It’s unprecedented.”
The In Unison Chorus was created to perform Hannibal Peterson’s African Portraits. Ray was already serving as an assistant to then-Director of the Saint Louis Symphony Chorus, the late Thomas Peck. Ray was asked to put together a chorus to sing Peterson’s work at Powell Hall. “It was a combination of African-American members of the community and members of the Symphony Chorus. We nurtured and grew the chorus after the initial performance. It was so successful we were asked to form an official In Unison Chorus. And now it’s a model program for orchestras all over the world,” Ray said.
SLSO Music Director David Robertson said in response to Ray’s announcement: “One of my great experiences came this season when the Saint Louis Symphony Chorus and the In Unison Chorus were on the Powell Hall stage together for the first time ever, performing Tippett’s A Child of Our Time. The two choruses together embodied what so much of that piece is about—that if we focus on what unites us as human beings, rather than our differences, we may not only dream of, but attain a better world. Robert Ray’s leadership throughout the life of the In Unison Chorus has always been about that dream, strived for through artistry and impeccable musicianship. He’s been a great asset to the Orchestra and I treasure the work we’ve done together. I will miss him.”
