Looking for something new and different this holiday season? The Orange County Women’s Chorus has the musical solution.
The OC Women’s Chorus, which normally rehearses in Newport Beach and offers several concerts here several every year, is not able to perform in person so the chorus is bringing its holiday cheer to you with a seasonal-themed concert called “Something New.”
On Sunday, Dec. 6, you can start viewing the program online beginning at 9 a.m. and continuing indefinitely.
According to information provided by OCWC, program of music is “beautiful, thoughtful, and unique, including the world premiere of a newly commissioned work by renowned composer Dale Trumbore (written especially for OCWC) and a special guest appearance by the fabulous soprano Marlissa Hudson.”
Sign up for the OCWC newsletter by December 5 to receive a program link, or visit the website at ocwomenschorus.org. To sign up go to https://ocwomenschorus.org/contact/ or text OCWC to 22828.
The first 75 guests to donate $50 or more will be invited to join an exclusive behind-the-scenes zoom session on Dec. 6 at 4 p.m. featuring Artistic Director Eliza Rubenstein, composer Dale Trumbore and virtual choir producer Scot Hanna-Weir. To donate, go to https://ocwomenschorus.org/donate.
Founded in 1997, the Orange County Women’s Chorus is now in its 23rd season as one of the region’s top amateur ensembles. The chorus was named a 2014 Outstanding Arts Organization by Arts Orange County, was a prizewinner in July 2015 at the International Musical Eisteddfod in Llangollen, Wales, and participated in the Carnegie Hall premiere of Kirke Mechem’s “Songs of the Slave” in New York City in June 2017 under the baton of Eliza Rubenstein.
Eliza Rubenstein, Artistic Director, is also the Director of Choral and Vocal Activities and Chair of the Music Department at Orange Coast College, and the Artistic Director of the Long Beach Chorale and Chamber Orchestra. She currently serves on the Board of the California Choral Directors’ Association as the editor of the award-winning Cantate magazine. She studied choral conducting at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music before moving to California to earn her master’s degree at UC-Irvine.
Guest Artists for the “Something New” concert:
Marlissa Hudson (soprano) has been described as a “superb lyric coloratura” (St. Louis Post-Dispatch), and as having a “lovely shimmer of her upper register” (Washington Post). Recognized as an international concert performer, Hudson has been featured in Bulgaria and Paraguay, and has collaborated in the U.S. with such esteemed organizations as the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Pops Orchestra, National Philharmonic, Vocal Essence, the 92nd Street Y, and as a member of the Arianna Quartet. She made her Carnegie Hall debut in 2017, performing Kirke Mechem’s “Songs of the Slave” with members of the OCWC under the direction of Eliza Rubenstein.
Brian Noel (harp) has appeared with the OCWC on numerous occasions, accompanying the chorus twice in their performances of Britten’s “A Ceremony of Carols,” Susa’s “Carols and Lullabies,” and Bernstein’s “Chichester Psalms.” He holds a Bachelor of Music degree from CSU Long Beach and a Master’s Degree in Music from Columbia University. He currently serves as principal harp with Whittier Regional Symphony, and appears throughout the southland both as a soloist and in ensembles, performing for weddings and other events.
Dale Trumbore (composer) received her first commission from the OCWC in 2010. Currently, she is a Los Angeles composer and writer whose music has been praised by The New York Times for its “soaring melodies and beguiling harmonies.” Trumbore’s compositions have been performed widely in the U.S. and internationally by ensembles including the American Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME), Los Angeles Master Chorale, Los Angeles Children’s Chorus, Modesto Symphony, Pacific Chorale, Pasadena Symphony, The Singers – Minnesota Choral Artists, and VocalEssence.
Scot Hanna-Weir (virtual choir producer) is an Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at Santa Clara University, and Artistic Director of the Santa Clara Chorale. He is recognized for his innovative programming, his fluency with technology in performance, and his engagement with issues of equity and social justice. In addition to regularly commissioning and premiering new works, he is also an active composer and arranger himself.
