NEWS: Utah Chamber Artists Wins 2011 Chorus America "Dale Warland Singers Commission Award"

Date: May 12, 2011
Media Release for Immediate Announcement
From: Utah Chamber Artists
Contact: Becky Durham 801.572.2010
Photos available upon request

UTAH CHAMBER ARTISTS WINS 2011 CHORUS AMERICA "Dale Warland Singers Commission Award"

Salt Lake City - Utah Chamber Artists and Barlow Bradford are very pleased to announce they have been awarded Chorus America's prestigious Dale Warland Singers Commission Award. The ensemble receives a $5,000.00 cash prize - offered by the American Composer's Forum - which will go directly to British composer Tarik O'Regan. Mr. O'Regan, will compose a 10 minute work for choir and strings to be premiered during Utah Chamber Artists' Spring Concert on Monday April 30, 2012.

The award will be presented formally during the Awards Banquet on June 10th at the 34th annual Chorus America conferences in San Francisco. Artistic Director, Barlow Bradford and others from the Utah Chamber Artists will be in attendance to accept the prize. This award was established in 2008 to honor the life-long commitment of Dale Warland to new music and is made possible by the Dale Warland Singers Fund for New Choral Music, a permanently restricted endowment fund established in 2004 to honor Dale and the Singers. The award was created to recognize a chorus entering into an artistically meaningful and mutually beneficial partnership with a composer of their choice to contribute a new work to the choral repertoire. Former winners are Chanticleer, Conspirare, and Anima.

Those reviewing the applications were Dale Warland, a choral conductor selected by Chorus America,and a composer selected by the American Composer Forum. Entries were judged on:
Skill and artistic quality of the chorus
Ability to carry out the proposed commission (administrative capacity and artistic potential)
Artistic accomplishment of the composer
Artistic merit of the proposed project for the chorus within the context of the overall programming plan
Significance of the commission to the composer's career development
Plans by the chorus for additional performances beyond the premiere

Dr. Bradford was delighted when he learned the ensemble had received the award.

"We are both thrilled and honored to be receiving the 2011 Dale Warland Singers Commission Award from Chorus America. The fact it carries the name of Dale Warland makes it that much more meaningful. Dale is known for his tireless efforts in bringing new compositions to the repertoire and this award is yet one more example of this lifelong pursuit. In addition, to be collaborating with one of today's foremost composers is an exhilarating prospect. I have tremendous respect for Tarik O'Regan's work and look forward to working with him on this commission."

Gayle M. Ober, Chairman of the Board of Chorus America says this of UCA's win. “As the former Executive Director of the Dale Warland Singers, it is my particular pleasure to congratulate Barlow Bradford and the Utah Chamber Artists for being the first volunteer chorus to win this prestigious award. Their planned commission of Tarik O’Regan is sure to expand the choral repertoire
in an exciting and meaningful way.” Ann Meier Baker, Chorus America's President & CEO remarks, “Chorus America is delighted to partner with the American Composers Forum to present the Dale Warland Singers Commission Award to the Utah Chamber Artists, whose commitment to working with living composers is a defining characteristic of the ensemble.”

Utah Chamber Artists has just finished celebrating its 20th year of making music.

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