| CINCINNATI, OH 11/30/09–The Cincinnati May Festival is pleased to announce that Robert Porco has agreed to extend his contract as Director of Choruses for an additional three years through the 2012 season. Having just concluded his 20th May Festival season to rave reviews, Mr. Porco has provided the artistic choral leadership for more May Festivals than any other Chorus Director in the history of the May Festival.
"The May Festival Chorus is a unique ensemble; while its members always work on a professional level, striving for the highest degree of artistry, there's also a special camaraderie that further elevates the experience for me. I am delighted to have the opportunity to continue my relationship with the members of the May Festival Chorus and with the organization that lets its voice be heard."
As Director of Choruses, Mr. Porco is responsible for preparing the May Festival Chorus as well as coordinating the efforts of guest choruses for participation in May Festival performances. In addition to the May Festival concerts, Mr. Porco also prepares and conducts the May Festival Chorus in other performance opportunities, including Carolfest and prepares the May Festival Chorus for performances with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. Mr. Porco is currently preparing the May Festival Chorus for Carolfest (December 5, 2009) and for concerts with the CSO (Handel’s Messiah on December 17, 19 & 20 and Orff’s Carmina burana on January 15 & 16).
“This is truly a remarkable relationship between one of America’s great choruses and its equally renowned choral director.” remarks May Festival Board President Thomas Neyer, Jr. “From the members of the chorus to those of us in the audience, the whole May Festival family is very fortunate to have been the beneficiary of the incredible talent that Bob has shared with us. When this great news was announced to the chorus at their rehearsal this week, the chorus responded with shouts of approval and a standing ovation. We are extremely proud of our long association with Bob Porco and look forward to years of glorious world-class choral music in the years to come.”
Robert Porco has been recognized as one of the leading choral musicians in the United States. For more than 35 years he has been an active conductor of choral, orchestral works and opera. Mr. Porco has gained national recognition for his preparation of choruses for such prominent conductors as John Adams, Pierre Boulez, James Conlon, Andrew Davis, Christoph von Dohnányi, Paavo Järvi, Erich Kunzel, Raymond Leppard, James Levine, Jahja Ling, Jesus Lopez-Cobos, Zubin Mehta, John Nelson, Andre Previn, Kurt Sanderling, Leonard Slatkin, Robert Shaw, Franz Welser-Möst, John Williams and David Zinman.
During his career, Mr. Porco has conducted or prepared most of the major choral repertoire, ranging from the cantatas of Bach to the 2003 Pulitzer Prize-winning On the Transmigration of Souls performed by the May Festival Chorus in 2008 under the baton of the composer John Adams. Of the Chorus’s performance the composer wrote, ''The pure American quality of their enunciation and their perfectly balanced sonorities lifted the matter-of-fact plainness of the words to transcendental level, and for once the piece did not seem as compromised and uneven as I had previously thought.''
Highlights of his tenure with the May Festival include three highly acclaimed appearances in Carnegie Hall: a 1991 performance of Mendelssohn’s Elijah with Jesus Lopez-Cobos and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra; a 1995 performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 with Robert Shaw, the Cleveland Orchestra, and other choruses; and an October 2001 performance of Britten’s War Requiem with James Conlon and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.
Mr. Porco’s conducting career has spanned geographic venues across Western Europe including performances in the Edinburgh Festival; Lucerne, Switzerland; and Reykjavik, Iceland; and in the United States at the May Festival, Tanglewood Music Festival, Berkshire Music Festival, Blossom Festival and Grant Park Festival. In 2009, Mr. Porco conducted the Taipei Symphony Orchestra. He has been a regular guest conductor in the May Festival since 1991, with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra since 1996 and the Cleveland Orchestra since 2000.
This season also marks Mr. Porco’s 12th year as Director of Choruses for the Cleveland Orchestra. Read more about Robert Porco.
About the Cincinnati May Festival
Established in 1873, the May Festival is directly responsible for the development of Cincinnati’s modern musical life. Music Hall, the city’s primary concert venue, was built specifically to house the Festival’s performances. The prestigious roster of Festival Music Directors has included, among others, Theodore Thomas, Max Rudolf, James Levine and currently, James Conlon.
For more information contact:
Steven R. Sunderman at 513.744.3248
ssunderman@mayfestival.com
or
Guy LaJeunesse at 513.744.3250
glajeunesse@mayfestival.com
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