MOS News - Late Fall 2019
|
|
This holiday season, MOS is giving thanks for you, our participants and supporters! You make our 31st season of choral music possible, and we are grateful.
|
|
|
|
Ring the holidays in with MOS!
Sunday, December 8 at 3 p.m.
|
The 140-voice MOS chorus and 38-member
Kaleidoscope ensemble
are joined by the excellent Treble Concert Choir of the
Atlanta Young Singers
(AYS) for this concert of Christmas favorites, old and new! The program will include
Angels from the Realms of Glory,
Silent Night
,
Jingle Bells,
In the Bleak Midwinter
, and
Christmas Is Coming
, among others. There will be several chances for the concert audience to join in the singing!
Visit our web site
to view the full list of songs to be performed.
|
|
|
|
Come be part of our chorus!
Sunday, December 22 at 3 p.m.
|
Join voices with hundreds of singers in this traditional "bucket list" holiday event. The MOS chorus and Kaleidoscope, along with chamber orchestra and professional soloists, lead the way in this Atlanta holiday tradition. Conducted by Michael O'Neal, we'll perform the Christmas portion of Handel’s
Messiah
, concluding with the famous “Hallelujah” Chorus!
Soloists:
|
|
A Letter from Founder and Artistic Director Michael O'Neal
D
ear Friends,
As MOS performs its 31st Season I've found myself feeling a bit nostalgic about our past three decades of music making, even as I've anticipated with excitement what we will be able to accomplish in this season and the seasons to follow. It was my good fortune to have the great conductor Robert Shaw as a musical mentor for many years. One of the most important things I learned from Mr. Shaw was to always seek perfection in my work, not for self-glory, but out of a sense of responsibility to the composer, the performers, and the audience. Below is something I shared with MOS in our first few years of existence about my "struggle toward perfection."
If I were to give a title to these thoughts it would be "Artistic Performance: A Struggle Toward Perfection" or "Gee, I Didn't Know Music Was So Hard." I am convinced that most things of importance to us come through struggle, hard work, pain, etc. I have found in my experience that music is no different. Commitment, dedication, and purpose are all words which can be used to describe the great composers of the past, and I believe we must possess those same attributes as performers. From my personal study I have learned that much of the world's most profound music has emerged from turmoil and struggle within the composer. It is not surprising to me that much of the great and lasting art of our world has been born out of pain. The artist attempts to express in music, painting, sculpture, etc., that which is too deeply felt or experienced to be expressed only in words. For us as performers to bring less than our best is a disservice to the composer, as well as to ourselves. We have been given the gift of artistic expression, which allows us the opportunity to experience life at a deeper and more satisfying level than we would normally think possible. I am unable in good conscience to do anything but continue the struggle, for I have experienced that of which I speak. The greatest joys and satisfactions of my musical life have come after hours and hours of struggle. If I had been unwilling to face the struggle, I would have never experienced the joy.
Well, nearly thirty years after writing those words I have found perfection to still be an elusive goal, and while I will never fully achieve it, I hope to never stop trying. I am grateful for the opportunity.
Sincerely,
Michael
|
|
Thank you for your support of our October program,
Time Forgotten - Time Remembered
. A video recording of the event will be published on our YouTube Channel in early December. Please invite caregivers of those living with Alzheimer's and dementia to experience our program online.
Click here
to visit the MOS YouTube Channel, and click the red SUBSCRIBE button to become a Subscriber and be notified when the concert is posted.
|
|
MOS appreciates the support it receives via corporate, private, and public funding. This autumn, we highlight Fulton County's Commissioners and Arts and Culture Department. Fulton County leaders strive to strengthen the cultural knowledge of Fulton County citizens, organizations and communities by awarding funding to non-profit organizations whose arts programming supports the missions, goals and values of Fulton County Government. MOS has received financial grants from Fulton County through the Arts Council and Commissioners for over 20 years. These funds have allowed MOS to present vibrant and diverse programming to fulfill the three key aspects of our Mission Statement: to engage, educate and enrich Atlanta-area singers and audiences. Funding from Fulton County has also helped MOS expand its community outreach, such as the production and distribution of our
MOS Remembers
CD. Thank you, Fulton County Commissioners, for your continued support of The Michael O'Neal Singers, and thank you to all who support The Michael O'Neal Singers in reaching our communities through song.
|
|
Engage with MOS
Visit us on Facebook and Instagram, and experience our music on YouTube.
|
|
Thank you to our sponsors!
This program is supported in part by the Georgia Council for the Arts through the appropriations of the Georgia General Assembly. GCA also receives support from its partner agency, the National Endowment for the Arts. Partial funding for this program is provided by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners. MOS receives support from the Audience Building Roundtable, an initiative of the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
