News-Release: Mozart's Coronation Mass at the Cathedral of St. John Berchmans
03.30.09

CONTACT: MARC-ANDRE BOUGIE, MUSIC DIRECTOR
PHONE: 318.272.0935
MABOUGIE1@YAHOO.COM

Sunday April 12, 2009: 5:30PM: Cathedral of St. John Berchmans, 939 Jordan Street, Shreveport, LA 71101. FREE ADMISSION.

An ensemble of 50 of the finest vocalists and instrumentalists of the area will present Mozart's Coronation Mass, in the context of the Easter Mass, also known as the Latin or Tridentine Mass. Fr. Peter Mangum will celebrate the Mass of the Resurrection. Soloists Candace Taylor, Erin Roth, Ryan McDonald, & Steven McDonald will be featured. The Cathedral Schola will also join in this unique spiritual and musical celebration. Marc-Andre Bougie will be the conductor of this ensemble.

Of the sacred works that Mozart composed in Salzburg none is as well known or as popular as the Coronation Mass, composed for Easter Sunday Mass (Mass in C K. 317). In 1779 Mozart returned from his disastrous trip to Paris and, partly out of material necessity and also to please his father, he took up a position in the Archbishop's service in Salzburg. He was to "unbegrudgingly and with great diligence discharge his duties both in the cathedral and at court and in the chapel house, and as occasion presents, to provide the court and church with new compositions of his own creation". At the first opportunity, Mozart fulfilled this demand, composing the Mass for the Easter Day service on 4th April 1779.



The musical style of the piece corresponds to the hybrid form that was preferred by the Archbishop: its use of wind instruments, trumpets, and timpani suggests a "Solemn Mass", and its length suggests a "Short Mass" (missa brevis).

Music Director Marc-Andre Bougie has put together a group of accomplished performers to deliver this unique work. The four soloists are up and coming voices in the area and Bougie is proud to feature their talents for the upcoming concerts. He has also worked closely with all choral vocalists to guarantee stylistic unity. The 20 professional musicians of the orchestra also perform regularly under Bougie.


ARTISTS' BIOGRAPHIES

MARC-ANDRE BOUGIE: Conductor / Music Director

A native of Montreal, Marc-Andre first studied piano at the College of St. Laurent. He subsequently completed a Bachelor of Music at the University of Montreal and was admitted to the University of Missouri for his Master's in Orchestra Conducting under Maestro Edward Dolbashian. As a conductor, Marc-Andre founded and directed the Orchestre des Sources, a chamber orchestra with which he recorded a CD, Orchestre des Sources: Musique pour cordes, and the music for the short-movie L 'embellie. In Missouri, he conducted the University Philharmonic, the Contemporary Chamber Players, the University Singers, the Columbia Youth Orchestra, and the Show-Me Opera Studio. Arriving in Shreveport in September 2001 he held a four-year tenure with the Shreveport Opera as Education Director, Chorus Master, and Assistant-Conductor, making his professional conducting debut with the Shreveport Symphony in January 2004. He also worked with the St. John-Berchmans Cathedral Choir, the St. Cecilia Choral Society, the Boys and Girls Choir of Shreveport, and The Princess Theatre Players. Also active as a composer, he won the 2001 MTNA National Composition Competition with his piece String-Quartet. Marc-Andre is currently Music Director for the Texarkana Symphony Orchestra, the Texarkana Regional Chorale and the Shreveport Chorale, and full-time faculty at Texarkana College. Recent engagements have included concerts at Carnegie Hall and Montreal with Ark-La-Tex Choirs, conducting the Gilbert & Sullivan production of I Have A Song to Sing and a full season of concerts with the Texarkana Symphony Orchestra, of which he is the founding Music Director. Marc was recently awarded TRAHC's 2007 Arts Champion Award. The Arkansas Arts Council has added him to the Arts in Education Roster of Artists for the coming year.


CANDACE TAYLOR, Soprano Solo

A native of Shreveport, Soprano Candace Taylor began her music studies on cello and continued on scholarship at Northeast Louisiana University. She later began vocal studies while at Northeast with Louis Nabors and continued until graduation, completing a Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Therapy.



As a classically trained singer, Candace has been a soloist with the Shreveport Opera Chorus, the St. Cecilia Chorale Society, the St. John Berchmans Cathedral Choir, the Shreveport Chorale, the Texarkana Regional Chorale, the Texarkana Chamber Singers, the Gilbert & Sullivan Society, and the Texarkana College Concert Series. She has been featured with the Texarkana Symphony in November 2006 and made her international debut in Montreal, Canada, in May 2007. Also active as recitalist, Candace has been featured in a number of self-titled performances with orchestra since 2004, the latest in October 2007 featuring a combination of classical repertoire and contemporary French standards. Recent engagements have included soprano soloist for Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Gilbert & Sullivan’s I Have a Sing to Sing, and recording artist for the new CD release Sweethearts. Upcoming engagements include soprano solo for Mozart’s Coronation and Requiem Masses and another solo recital with orchestra in May, 2009 entitled Continuing the Legacy: Candace Taylor in Concert.



Candace has also had an active career as a live jazz vocal performer with the band Intimate Moments with a repertoire of traditional and contemporary jazz standards. She has worked with the Jefferson Jazz Fest as a vocal instructor/coach for workshops and volunteers time in the community towards arts and cultural enrichment. She has appeared with most Ark-La-Tex jazz festivals, the Red River Revel, and a frequent performer in a host of small popular venues in the Ark-La-Tex. She was recently a featured jazz vocalist in The Cotton Club presents: A Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald produced by the Southern University Foundation



Ms. Taylor works for the Christus St. Michael Health System as an Occupational Therapist (OT) specializing in the treatment of individuals with hand / upper extremity injuries and is a Certified Hand Therapis (CHT). She is also active in the music ministry weekly as a professional cantor. Candace is married to conductor Marc-André Bougie and they have a daughter - Miriam Taylor Bougie

ERIN ROTH, Mezzo-Soprano Solo


Graduating Cum Laude with a M.M. in Vocal Performance from Stephen F. Austin State University in 2007, Erin performed multiple roles including Cherubino, The Marriage of Figaro, Prince Orlofsky, Die Fledermaus, Augusta Tabor, The Ballad of Baby Doe, Maddalena, Rigoletto, and Third Lady, The Magic Flute. She has also been featured soloist in Handel's Messiah, Mozart's Spatzenmesse, Raminsh's Magnificat & Verdi's Requiem. Some of Erin's awards and achievements include winning The Orchestra of the Pines 2006 Concerto/Aria Competition and becoming a National Association of Teachers of Singing Finalist (Texoma Region, 2004). She has placed second out of six finalists in the Wednesday Morning Music Club's Fielder Grant competition and was named a finalist in the Edward Baird Singer of the Year Competition (Texoma Region). She has covered the mezzo solos in Danielpour's An American Requiem for Jill Grove, Metropolitan Opera singer and SFA alumnus in May 2007. Erin has also performed with the Amore! Opera Guild of East Texas, a fundraising program for the SFASU Opera, and is a paid choir member for the Christ Episcopal Church in Nacogdoches TX. She is also a member of the Pi Kappa Lambda, the music honors fraternity.

RYAN MCDONALD, Tenor Solo


Originally from California, Ryan received his Master's degree in Vocal Performance at Stephen F. Austin University as a voice student of Dr. Richard Berry, Dean of Fine Arts. He performed many roles in the SFA Opera including Eisenstein, Die Fledermaus; Bardolfo, Falstaff, Papageno, The Magic Flute. Additional credits include Charlie Davenport, Annie, Get your Gun\; Dickon, The Secret Garden; St. George, The Reluctant Dragon; Ko-Ko, The Mikado; Bob Boatswain, H.M.S. Pinafore; and Giuseppe Palmieri, The Gondoliers. While living in Houston, Ryan performed with the Sons of Orpheus, a male vocal ensemble while performing with The Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Houston in Ruddigore. Ryan currently is adjunct faculty for voice at Texarkana College & sings with the Texarkana Regional Chorale. Ryan has appeared with G&S as Prince Hilarion in Princess Ida (2006) & featured soloist in Elijah (2008) & / Have a Song to Sing! (2008).

STEVEN MCDONALD, Baritone Solo


A recent graduate of Stephen F. Austin University in Nacogdoches with a Bachelor's of Music & Master's degree, having served as a graduate assistant while studying voice with Dr. Richard Berry, Steven aspires to perform and enjoys his time on stage immensely. Active in both Opera and Musical Theater his experience includes: Figaro, The Marriage of Figaro; Sir Ruthven Murgatroyd, Ruddigore; Don Andres, La Perichole; Dr. Falke, Die Fledermaus; Buddy, City of Angels; Sebastian, The Little Mermaid; Curly, Oklahoma!; Lieutenant Harden, The Secret Garden; and chorus in The Mighty Casey, La Boheme, Elisir d'Amore, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Annie Get Your Gun, Little Shop of Horrors, and others. First appearing as Florian in Princess Ida (2006), Steven also performed the role of Matt to rave reviews in the 2007 G&S production of The Fantasticks & was a featured soloist in / Have a Song to Sing! (2008).