Article Title: World Class Musician Robert De Cormier to Lead Ensemble in Montpelier Debut

Edition: August 2000
Category: Arts/Music/Theater
Author: Nat Frothingham
Article:

Robert De Cormier, an internationally-known conductor, composer and arranger will bring nine talented voices to Montpelier in a debut concert for the recently-formed ensemble Counterpoint.

De Cormier, who for the past 20 years has been the musical director for the popular folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary, spent many years as an arranger for Harry Belafonte. He is a graduate of the Julliard School of Music and was for 17 years the music director of the New York Choral Society. In addition to conducting and arranging, De Cormier is a composer with works that range from choral, to ballet to Broadway scores. He is currently choral director for the Vermont Symphony Orchestra.

The Counterpoint concert will take place on Saturday, Sept. 2 at 8:00 p.m. at the Unitarian Church in Montpelier.

In forming Counterpoint, De Cormier is hoping that professional singers, like professional instrumentalists, can make a living from their music. De Cormier acknowledges that this is a personal crusade for him.

In addition to choral excellence, Counterpoint has two other important goals. First, to offer its audiences rarely performed and unique arrangements of choral music and second, to commission choral work from Vermont composers.

Counterpoint will perform a varied program of mostly 20th century music. The unaccompanied program features works by Bernstein, Gould, Ravel and Hindemith. The program also includes early music from 16th century English composers John Dowland and William Byrd and from 18th century American composer William Billings.

In forming Counterpoint, De Cormier has gathered together an ensemble of nine trained professional voices from across Vermont. Each is an experienced singer with appearances and credits with such well-known Vermont musical organizations as the Oriana Singers, the Vermont Symphony Orchestra Chorus, and other Vermont musical groups.

In his typically understated manner, De Cormier said of the upcoming events: "We should be able to provide a very high standard of singing. We are certainly going to strive for that." He likens the small 9-member vocal ensemble to a chamber music string quartet.

Counterpoint will also perform Friday, September 1 at 7:30 p.m. at the Waitsfield United Church of Christ and Sunday afternoon, September 3 at the Weston Playhouse at 4:00 p.m.

For further information call Sunbound Enterprises at 802-244-5895 or E-mail: info@counterpointchorus.com

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