Dona Nobis Pacem

GUEST MUSICIANS

Karl Hempel has sung as member and soloist of Gloriae Dei Cantores, a professional choir based on Cape Cod. He has toured 23 countries and has sung in 16 languages in such venues as St. Mark's in Venice; Conservatory Hall, Moscow; St. John Smith Square, London. He has studied voice at the Eastman School of Music, Oberlin Conservatory and the Columbia Teachers College. Mr. Hempel, being a former Benedictine monk, also has training rooted in Gregorian chant. He is presently living in the Washington, DC area and is a member of the Men and Boys Choir of the National Cathedral.

Douglas Wolters performs in metropolitan Washington on modern and baroque cello as well as on viola da gamba, the related stringed instrument. The Washington Post has praised Mr. Wolters as "one of the finest continuo cellists in the area." In addition to serving as principal cellist of The Bach Sinfonia and the Gettysburg Chamber Orchestra, Mr. Wolters also served as principal cellist with the Fairfax Symphony and collaborates in mixed media events with poets, dancers, and other artists. This season he presented a recital of viola da gamba music of the high baroque, with Tina Chancey and Webb Wiggins. Recently, as a member of the Cezanne Trio, he performed a series of concerts at the Embassy of the Czech Republic, focusing on new Czech music. Mr. Wolters has also appeared in recitals at Alice Tully Hall in New York, and in Washington at the Phillips Collection, the Corcoran Gallery, and the Smithsonian Institution with the Smithsonian Chamber Players. Mr. Wolters has recorded for Orion and Northeastern. A graduate of New England Conservatory, Mr. Wolters studied cello with Mihaly Virizlay and viola da gamba with Gian Lyman Silbiger. In addition to performing, he teaches stringed instruments in the Fairfax County, VA school system and maintains a private studio.

Louise Lee is a graduate of Smith College and Indiana University, where she received a Master of Music degree in organ performance, studying with Oswald Ragatz. Ms. Lee performs frequently as a piano accompanist. She is organist at Arlington Forest United Methodist Church, and assistant organist at St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Foggy Bottom. Ms. Lee has directed the Ad Hoc Singers since she founded the group in 1975.

The Ad Hoc Singers, an amateur chamber chorus devoted to traditional choral literature from the fifteenth through the twentieth centuries, has been in existence under the direction of Louise Lee since 1975. They perform regularly at churches and other locations throughout the area. Good sight readers interested in joining the group should call 703-538-2557 to set up an audition, or speak with Ms. Lee after the concert.

Thanks to Karen Lee for publicity, as well as the program with Alyn Beauchamp.

We'd like to heartily thank Calvary United Methodist Church for the use of their sanctuary and facilities for this concert.

This concert was recorded onto a MiniDisc, a format developed by Sony. Unfortunately, it is impossible to get the original digital data back from the MiniDisc without expensive specialized equipment. Sony designed things this way to prevent people from copying copyrighted material. But in this case, it is our own original source material that we are being prevented from copying. To provide these MP3 files, I had to play the MiniDisc and digitize the audio again. The 75-minute MiniDisc recording produced a 793MB AIFF file. This is too large to put on a web site, but it can be used to create audio CDs. MiniDisc recordings are compressed with ATRAC, which does affect the sound quality. MP3 files are also compressed, further degrading the sound quality.