Choral Arts at Kennedy Center
June 17, 2007

In June 2007, Choral Arts Singers were invited to join Dr. John Leavitt in the performance of his work Jubilee at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. This was Choral Arts' second opportunity to perform under Dr. Leavit's direction: the first was in 2005 at Carniege Hall. Once again it was an honor and a privilege to work with such a talented composer and director.

Choral Arts Singers
Carnegie Hall
November 6, 2005

In the fall of 2005, Choral Arts Singers was privileged to perform with seven other select choirs from around the United States in the Issac Stern Auditorium of Carnegie Hall in New York City. The concert, accompanied by a full orchestra, was directed by Dr. John Leavitt. The performance included a seven part canata written / arranged by Dr. Leavitt entitled What Child is This?,and two additional Leavitt works: Set Me As A Seal and Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy. Since 2005, these and other works by Dr. Leavitt have become choir favorites.

Performing at Carnegie Hall was a phenomenal experience!  To have the opportunity to work directly with the composer of the music you are learning is fascinating and very rewarding.  It is not often that one has the opportunity of 'crawling inside the composer's brain' to discover why he wrote the music in a particular manner.  Dr. John Leavitt is a sensative, lyrical, and charismatic composer of both secular and non-secular music.  He is expressive, challenging and commanding in his music, and he demands excellence.  It was an honor to learn and perform his cantata and other choral works.  Moreover, it was exciting to receive a standing ovation from a 2,000+ member New York audience.