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(425) 881-0445
P.O. Box 1714
Bellevue, WA 98009-1714
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History of the Chorus and the Director
Founded in 1984, Bellevue Chamber Chorus is a non-profit
organization(501c3) consisting of 32 - 40
professional and avocational musicians of diverse backgrounds,
performing music of various styles from all musical periods.
Membership is by audition. Each December the Chorus presents its
Holiday Master Composer Series, which features the great works of
many of the familiar and also lesser-known composers from early
music periods through the 21st century. Other performances have
included December performances of Handel’s Messiah. A very popular
"POPS" concert is offered in March showcasing everything from Swing
to Jazz to Broadway hits. In late May/early June the Chorus performs
historical and contemporary music from different countries as part
of its annual Music From Around the World Series. These concerts
showcase music performed in their native languages.
In addition to its regular concert series, Bellevue Chamber
Chorus has joined other ensembles in performances of major
choral/orchestral works, including Handel's complete "Messiah" with
the Bellevue Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as Mozart's "Vespers",
Faure's "Requiem", and Verdi's "Requiem". To celebrate its
15th-anniversary season in 1999, the Chorus collaborated with Ballet
Bellevue to present Purcell’s rarely performed “Fairy Queen”. The
ensemble has performed several works by regional composers,
including a commissioned work by Alan Hovhaness, entitled "Out of
Silence", which the Chorus premiered for the Washington State
Centennial Celebration. In 1993 the Chorus had the honor of
premiering the new Theater at Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue. Also,
two specially commissioned works by Alan Hovhaness were premiered,
celebrating Song and Dance. The group is also active in community
activities, including new building and organ inaugurations, holiday
tree-lightings, arts fairs and fine-arts series concerts, "Messiah"
sing-alongs to benefit local food banks, and as the Christmas Chorus
aboard Argosy holiday cruises. The Chorus has also released an
enhanced educational CD called “Timeframes” and recently a second CD
in celebration of the 20th anniversary season called
“Retrospective”.
Bellevue Chamber Chorus has performed in several national and
international venues in recent years. In 1993, the Chorus performed
Mozart's "Requiem" (the Maunder edition) in Carnegie Hall with a
select group of choruses from around the country. A European tour in
1996 included performances in Prague and at the Salzburg Church
Music Festival. The group appeared again in Carnegie Hall in May
2000 for a performance of Poulenc’s “Gloria”, and traveled to
Sydney, Australia, in July 2000 where they performed Fanshawe’s
“African Sanctus” at the International Music Festival. They have
also performed in the inaugural Everett International Music
Festival, participated in the “Rolling Requiem” in Memory of
September 11th and performed locally with touring choirs from
Europe. The Chorus is also one of the founders of the annual
Eastside Summer Sings fundraiser for Eastside choral arts groups and
Standing Ovation. In honor of the Chorus’ 20th anniversary season, a
collaboration with Total Experience Gospel Choir was featured, and a
special commissioned piece, “ That Music Always Round Me”, by
Seattle composer, John Muehleisen, was premiered by the Chorus. A
second European tour summer 2005 included concerts in several famous
venues in Switzerland, Italy, Austria and Czech Republic. The Chorus
also performs at the Annual Leavenworth International Choral
Festival held in Leavenworth, Washington, each April.
Dr. Fredrick Lokken: Conductor of collegiate,
community, and church choirs in Minnesota, California, and the
Seattle area for over twenty years, Dr. Fredrick Lokken is in his
seventh season as music director and conductor of Bellevue
Chamber Chorus. Under his direction the Chorus has gained a growing
reputation for exciting performances of diverse and innovative
programs from the traditional classics to contemporary music from
around the world. Dr. Lokken received the DMA degree in choral
conducting from the University of Washington, where he studied with
Abraham Kaplan and Joan Conlon, and has studied further with such
eminent conductors as Helmuth Rilling, Joseph Flummerfelt, and Jon
Washburn. He also holds a degree in vocal performance from the
University of Wisconsin, and sang with the professional Dale Warland
Singers in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area for several years. In the
Seattle area, Dr. Lokken also has served as director of the early
music ensemble The Polyphonic Singers, and guest conducted the
Northwest Chamber Chorus. In addition to his work with Bellevue
Chamber Chorus, he is currently Director of Choral Music at
Shoreline Community College, where he also teaches private and class
voice, and last year conducted the SCC Opera Workshop performances,
including an abridged version of Strauss’ Die Fledermaus.
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