6th International Concert Tour

Sons of Orpheus’ 6th international concert tour

Rome, Tuscany, and the Italian Riviera

including concert performances in St. Peter’s Basilica,
Pisa, Florence, and the Cinque Terre

June 14–24, 2012

Tucson’s “Ambassadors of Song” to Sing Vatican Mass

The Vatican has invited Sons of Orpheus—The Male Choir of Tucson to sing a mass at the famous St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome on Sunday, June 17, beginning its concert tour of Italy. Declared “Tucson’s Ambassadors of Song” by mayoral proclamation in June 2008, Sons of Orpheus is celebrating its 21st anniversary by touring Italy June 14–24, its 6th international concert tour. Founder Grayson Hirst will conduct classical pieces from Italian composers Verdi and Puccini, as well as cowboy classics—this year celebrating Arizona’s Centennial—that have delighted European audiences during past tours to Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Ireland, Scotland, England, and Wales. Talented soloists from the University of Arizona will also join the concert tour. They have been raising money to offset their travel expenses by conducting mini-concerts in local venues this spring.

“Singing a mass in St Peter’s is a special privilege,” said Executive Committee chair and trip coordinator Richard Miller, “on a par with the thrill of performing in the White House during the 1998 Christmas season.” The tour includes three days in Rome, stops in Florence, Pisa, La Spezia, the Cinque Terre, and Milan—with performances along the way in concert halls, churches and town halls. Their final concert in Vernazza in the Cinque Terre seeks to raise funds to assist in the rebuilding of that town, decimated by mudslides last October.

Orpheus has completed its regular season, which included recent concerts in Tucson, Green Valley, and Saddlebrooke, the celebrated Christmas concert series at Mission San Xavier with the Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus, as well as appearances throughout the community since last fall. Rehearsals for Orpheus’ 22nd season will begin in late August. New members are welcome. For further information, contact Artistic Director Grayson Hirst at 621-1649 or send queries to our email:

Our appearances in Italy:

Sunday, June 17, 2012 4:00 P.M. (Italy time)	Mass in Saint Peter’s Basilica as part of our Italy tour from June 14 to June 24, which will include several public concerts, and take us to Rome, Florence, La Spezia, the Cinque Terre, and Milan. You'll find more information on our Italy tour here.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012 6:30 P.M. (Italy time)	Concert in Giardino Scotto, Pisa, Italy Rain location: Chiesa di San Zeno, Pisa, Italy (Tel: +39 050 553606) Cost: free
Wednesday, June 20, 2012 6:00 P.M. (Italy time)	Concert in Chiesa di Santo Stefano al Ponte Vecchio, Ponte Vecchio-Por Santa Maria , 50122 Florence (FI), Italy Phone: 055/290832 Cost: free
Friday, June 22 2012 9:00 P.M. (Italy time)	Concert in Church of Santa Margherita d'Antiochia, Vernazza, Italy A fundraiser for rehabilitation of the town of Vernazza following devastating mudslides last fall

View the Vatican program
View the Italy program
The programs are in pdf format, viewable in Adobe Reader, downloadable here

BACKGROUND NOTES

Sons of Orpheus—The Male Choir of Tucson, declared “Tucson’s Ambassadors of Song” by mayoral proclamation in June, 2008, is Tucson's premier male chorus, celebrating its 21st anniversary. Sons of Orpheus was founded by Grayson Hirst in the Fall of 1991 with the aid of a University of Arizona Fine Arts Incentive Grant award. Orpheus is a not-for-profit, non-sectarian, non-affiliated, community-based choral organization comprised of men from all walks of life. Members include trained and amateur musicians, businessmen, retirees, scientists, students, doctors, engineers, clergy, teachers, and professors, among many others. Orpheus provides a unique opportunity for men to sing selections from the rich repertoire of music written for their voices, and paralleling such groups as the existing choruses for boys, girls, women and mixed voices.

Orpheus explores a broad range of classical and popular choral literature for men's voices from all periods and styles. We sing in a wide variety of languages from English and Spanish to Russian and Welsh. The music we perform ranges from opera and musical theater through folk and religious music from many cultures to cowboy and popular tunes. In addition to our annual Gala Spring Concert, we present a growing number of concerts each year in Tucson, surrounding communities and statewide. Orpheus has collaborated with other local arts organizations such as Tucson Chamber Orchestra, Arizona Balalaika Orchestra, Arizona Friends of Chamber Music, the Tucson Symphony and Tucson Pops Orchestras and the Tucson Boys and Girls choruses. Dubbed "The Chorus that Cares,” many Orpheus concerts are performed to benefit various charitable community support organizations: PICOR Foundation's work with children's groups, the Primavera Foundation, the Patronato of Mission San Xavier del Bac, New Beginnings (formerly Shalom House for homeless mothers), Multiple Sclerosis Society Southern Arizona Region, the Welcome Wagon Club of Tucson, Junior League of Tucson, Inc., the Community Food Bank, Southern Arizona Aids Foundation, Homicide Survivors, Inc. and Save the Children. Sons of Orpheus is supported in part by grants from the Arizona Commission on the Arts and the Tucson/Pima Arts Council with funding from the State of Arizona and National Endowment for the Arts. Orpheus has recorded several CDs: a Christmas CD to benefit Casa de los Niños in 2001—a joint collaboration with the Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus and Rodney Glassman; a Live At The Proscenium CD; a Classical Cowboy CD; and two Sacred Christmas CDs recorded at Mission San Xavier del Bac.