used with permission

Larry, you may share my comments and I truly do believe that RFP is a modern day masterpiece! Choirs need to sing this piece and share it with their audiences. The effect is profound for everyone!

Three days after the concert and I'm still getting emails! What an event this was. We used Bob Cooper's idea of adding visuals projected in a giant screen behind the choir and "rented" the visuals he used from the visual artist who compiled them for him. Each slide was choreographed to a specific place in the music and we had over 200 slides.  Very emotional and effective. 

The choir sang one of the best concerts ever. As I told them last night, I have a professional standard I hold us all to, and they came through in spades. The timing of the rehearsals and performance was exactly right and as I told them last night, the final piano rehearsal was when I knew that they were going to sing the pants off the piece. I had a great group of instrumentalists - all pros from SNS, and they were also moved by the concert. 

I really think this piece is so important and needs to be heard. It is accessible but challenging, and the chamber version for guys like me who can't afford to hire the big band AND more importantly have a chamber choir, is perfect.

Thank you for giving this piece to the choral public. I am so happy to have given it the East Coast premiere and frankly you have created quite a problem for me as I struggle to get my programming finished for our operating grant for the Canada Council - just what do I now do next year!!

Here are a few comments from concert goers who emailed me:

“Last evening's concert was a musical ''Tour De Force '' ! Congratulations on such an amazing performance of a very powerful work. The choir was stupendous and conveyed the starkness of the movements through excellent diction, tone and dynamics changes. The orchestra was so well balanced and played with such emotion again with powerful dynamics changes which added theatre to the story telling...

“Once again, bravo to you, the choir, soloists and orchestra on a landmark performance ! Just a quick note from me to say how much I enjoyed the performance last night. I found it both moving and exhilarating, as well as a great comfort. I had a recent bereavement, and this helped me to get perspective on my loss and also the music took me to a wonderful place of peace and comfort. Thank you.”

“Stunning! Brilliant! Epic! Thank you Jeff for bringing that monumental work to Halifax”.

"Congratulations to you, the choristers and musicians for an amazing performance on Sunday evening. Three days later I still feel moved; so glad I attended. It was a perfect way to reflect and remember."