York Barbican will ring to the sound of many voices as it hosts the European premiere of a work by an international award-winning composer.
York community choir Prima Vocal Ensemble is thrilled to perform the European premiere of The Drop That Contained The Sea by double Grammy-winning composer Christopher Tin on Saturday (July 16).
This very special event with 200 voices re-unites Prima Vocal Ensemble with Angel City Chorale from Los Angeles for the first time since the sell-out world premiere of ‘The Drop’ at Carnegie Hall in 2014.
They will be accompanied by the Mowbray Orchestra, comprising some of the best musicians in the area, and joined on stage by international soloists and York’s very own Alistair McQueen who has been chosen to perform Tin’s ground-breaking Baba Yetu.
Christopher Tin himself – known for the best classical crossover album Calling All Dawns and choral hit Baba Yetu (Civilisation IV) – will be at the Barbican to conduct the European premiere.
Universal appeal
Tin’s sound has universal appeal, drawing on ethnic themes, classical influences and texts both ancient and modern. He delights fans of a powerful choral and orchestral sound and aficionados of world music alike.
In his own words:
“The Drop That Contained the Sea comes from a Sufi concept: in the same way that every drop of water contains the essence of the sea, inside every human is the essence of all of humanity.”
Artistic director and producer, Ewa Salecka of Prima Choral Artists is incredibly proud of Prima Vocal Ensemble’s achievement
“To perform such a sweeping, multi-lingual work in so many styles – they are a truly unique community choir, and to have this opportunity to welcome a ground-breaking composer and the excellent Angel City Chorale to our city is a huge privilege,” she said.
“Christopher’s music has a universal effect on absolutely everyone who hears it – you immediately fall in love with the sound. He puts you on such an emotional high and I simply cannot wait to share this experience with York audiences!”
Pre-concert talk
Christopher will be hosting a pre-concert talk at the Barbican from 6pm – a unique chance to come face to face with the composer and ask him questions about his life, music and accolades – from his two Grammys to his John Lennon song-writing award and Horovitz prize!
Admission to this intimate session is free but spaces must be pre-booked by emailing [email protected] with numbers.
The concert also includes Aaron Copland’s The Promise of Living (conducted by Prima Vocal Ensemble’s Ewa Salecka), Randy Newman’s Louisiana, David Paich and J Porcaro’s Africa and excerpts from Tin’s Calling All Dawns (conducted by Angel City Chorale’s Sue Fink).