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Allegra Martin

Meet Allegra Martin — Our New Music Director!

 

Cantilena welcomes Allegra Martin as our newly-appointed Music Director for the 2009-2010 Season. Ms. Martin has a Masters in Choral Conducting from Westminster Choir College, as well as a BA in Physics and Music from Williams College. While at Westminster, she studied conducting with Joseph Flummerfelt, James Jordan, and Andrew Megill, among others. She is the music director at First Parish Cohasset, and a Choral Artist with the Urban Voices Program at the Metropolitan Opera Guild. She is also the newly-appointed director of the Notables, an a cappella group in the Weston area. She appeared recently as conductor of the MIT G&S players production of Iolanthe, and was the chorusmaster for the Harvard Lowell House Opera production of Otello in Spring '09. Formerly, she was the founder and conductor of New Century Voices, and taught chorus at Winchester High School.

As a vocalist, Allegra is a founding member of Anthology, a professional quartet of enchanting women's voices. She also sings with Schola Cantorum, and studies voice with Emily Romney. She has performed with the New York Philharmonic and at the Spoleto Festival USA. Allegra also writes a blog about all things choral.

 

 

Ken Seitz

About Our Founding Director — Kenneth Seitz

 

On May 3, 2009, with "Touches of Sweet Harmony," Kenneth Seitz concluded over 31 years as director of Cantilena. A wonderfully large and appreciative audience turned out to experience Seitz’ farewell performance — a celebration of music, poetry, and springtime, with texts by Shakespeare, Walt Whitman, Maya Angelou, Lord Byron, Tennyson and others.

Under Ken's direction, Cantilena performed Norman Dello Joio’s choral classic, “A Jubilant Song,” as well as three of the “Greek Pastoral Scenes” by Horatio Parker, short gems by Lee Hoiby, Peter Mennin, and Albert Stoessel, three poetic works by California composer Brian Holmes, and two by Seitz, including a premiere of his haunting, evocative “The Splendour Falls on Castle Walls.”

The concert featured Holmes in person as guest French horn soloist, Mies Boet-Whitaker on flute, and accompanist Paul Carlson on the piano.

The performance culminated with a unique gift to Ken Seitz — the official naming of a minor planet in his honor. Renowned British astronomer, Brian Marsden, the longtime director of the Minor Planet Center (MPC) at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, presented Ken with an official plaque detailing his planet, (17156) Kennethseitz. Ken Seitz' tenure with Cantilena may have ended, but his legacy will live on among the stars!

On behalf of all of the members of Cantilena, present and past, we thank Ken for his many years of dedicated leadership, creative musical expression, tireless research, and unfailing devotion to creating enriching musical experiences for both singers and audience. We have shared a marvelous musical journey through the years as he has guided our development and explored the repertoire of women's music by both reviving neglected compositions and by introducing and creating new compositions.

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Kenneth Seitz served as Music Director of Cantilena from 1978 to 2009. Mr. Seitz is a graduate of Oberlin Conservatory of Music with a degree in piano performance. While in the United States Air Force, Mr. Seitz served as assistant director, arranger and accompanist of the 17th Air Force Men's Chorus in Germany, where his talents in these roles were regularly recognized by the German press. In 1970, Mr. Seitz was selected to be the official accompanist for the premiere season of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus.

From 1980 to 1983, Mr. Seitz conducted the Mystic Valley Chamber Orchestra (later known as the New England Philharmonic Orchestra) together with Allen Olsen. From 1984 to 2002, Mr. Seitz served as Music Director of First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington, MA. He has also held positions as Director of the MIT Summer Music Ensemble and conductor of several musical theatre productions at Boston University. In addition, Mr. Seitz has performed as a pianist and accompanist throughout the Boston area. Upon occasion, he takes a respite from his directorial duties to be featured at the piano during our concerts.

During his tenure, Kenneth Seitz has been instrumental in Cantilena's advancement as a leading performer of women's music in the local choral community. Mr. Seitz is an outstanding composer of both choral and instrumental works. In 1996, he wrote Voices of Remembrance, commissioned in celebration of the 350th anniversary of the founding of the town of Andover, MA. His setting of Immortal Love was the winning entry in the 1999 Unitarian Universalist Musician's Network's General Assembly Hymn Competition.

Mr. Seitz's has written a large number works specifically for Cantilena. Most recently, in May 2002, Cantilena commissioned and premiered Three Heartfelt Songs, a setting of text by three women poets. We have also performed his Velvet Shoes, Vocalise, Alleluia, Some Keep the Sabbath, Sing We Noel, The Coventry Carol, The Golden Carol, The Grass, There is No Rose, and Brightest and Best. Mr. Seitz's talents as a composer and arranger have provided Cantilena with some of the most popular music in our repertoire.

 

 

 

 
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