Live in New York

NEA Grant allows True Concord to take 9/11 tribute to New York.

In 2015, True Concord made its debut in New York City at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall. The performance, on September 11, was a commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. The repertoire was a performance of Mozart’s Requiem and Stephen Paulus’s Prayers and Remembrances.

Far in the Heavens was recorded in May 2013 at Catalina Foothills High School in Tucson with GRAMMY®-award winning producer Peter Rutenberg of Los Angeles. Composer Stephen Paulus visited Tucson for a week of recording sessions, culminating in a world premiere recording for all the works on the album. The concert was performed in conjunction with the release of its CD, Far in the Heavens: Choral Music of Stephen Paulus, on the Reference Recordings label.

All of the works included in Far in the Heavens were written within the last 10 years, and two were True Concord commissions: The Incomprehensible (2009) and Prayers and Remembrances, the 35-minute oratorio for choir and orchestra commissioned by True Concord for the 10th anniversary. The work received its premiere at a special concert on September 11, 2011, at the University of Arizona’s Centennial Hall in a joint performance with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra. Both commissions and the album were underwritten by Tucson philanthropist Dorothy Dyer Vanek.

True Concord’s New York City residency and musical activities were made possible by a $40,000 NEA grant and a significant gift from Dorothy Dyer Vanek. True Concord also received many other generous contributions from supporters.

True Concord’s board chair at the time, Pat Bjorhovde, called it “a tremendous opportunity. Eric and our musicians always strive to bring the highest quality of classical music to the region with a unique blend of choral and instrumental programming. The NEA grant, support from Dorothy Dyer Vanek, and the commitment of Reference Recordings, will now allow us to showcase this wonderful ensemble, which started here in Tucson, to New York and the world. And it pays a fitting tribute to a great composer and friend we lost all too soon.” Tragically, Stephen Paulus suffered a major stroke just six weeks after recording the album. He never recovered, and passed away in October 2014 after being in a coma for more than a year.

Reference Recordings is based in San Francisco, with multiple GRAMMY® awards and a catalog that includes Seattle Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Kronos Quartet.