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CONTACT: Ann Stahmer, Board Chair, Third Practice

703-719-5643 home office
202-210-5643 cell
sopranoannie@gmail.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Brian Bartoldus

THIRD PRACTICE BEGINS 2014-2015 SEASON WITH

MONTEVERDI VESPERS, NEWLY COMMISIONED WORK

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Ann Stahmer
Chair

James Aaron Martin

Secretary

Zain Shariff
Treasurer

Brian Bartoldus, ex officio

Shauna Kreidler Michels, ex officio
Christopher Riggs

Claudio Monteverdi's great sacred testament, the Vespers of 1610, exemplifies the
music of both the composers past and future, constantly dialoguing between the
archaic "first practice" and contemporary "second practice" of Monteverdi's day.

Robin Smith, ex officio

ADVISORY BOARD
Armando Bayolo
Artistic Director,
Great Noise Ensemble

Gregory Lewis
Executive Director,
The Washington Revels

Norman Scribner
Founder and Artistic Director
Emeritus, The Choral Arts
Society of Washington

Robert Shafer
Artistic Director, The
City Choir of Washington

October 2014: Third Practice will begin its third season with three performances of
the Monteverdi Vespers and a new work by composer Joshua Bornfield. The
performances will be presented on Sunday, November 9 at 3:00 PM in Frederick
Presbyterian Church (Frederick, MD); on Friday, November 14 at 7:30 PM in
Emmanuel Episcopal Church (Baltimore, MD); and on Saturday, November 15 at
7:00 PM in Holy Comforter - St. Cyprian Roman Catholic Church (Washington, DC).
Brian Bartoldus, Artistic Director of Third Practice, will conduct all three
performances.

As a companion piece for the Monteverdi, Third Practice commissioned Bornfield to

write a setting of the Litany of the Saints, to be presented in place of Monteverdi's
Sonata sopra Sancta Maria. In writing this new work, Bornfield described his music
as being "based on Monteverdi's ornamentation practices to match the grammar and
syntax of the Vespers, but in a contemporary style. It is both adventuresome and
aesthetically beautiful, like a footnote that clarifies and makes relevant a difficult
chapter of a book."
Baltimore-based composer Joshua Bornfield has been called "a completely new and
original voice" (Phyllis Bryn-Julson). His chamber, choral, and orchestral music has
won regional and national awards. Dr. Bornfield has been commissioned by the
Washington National Opera and had works performed at prestigious venues
throughout the United States, including the Jensen Center in Los Angeles, California
and The John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. Among his forthcoming
projects are a large cycle of Reconstruction-era song reinterpretations for Boston's
Lorelei Ensemble (supported by New Music USA) and a major work for Charm City
Collegium with the help of Canticum Novum.
Each of these concerts is free and open to the public. For reserved seats, please visit
www.thirdpractice.com. The November 15 performance will be sung within the
context of worship.
Third Practice, a highly acclaimed professional vocal ensemble conducted by Brian
Bartoldus, seeks to bring the beauty of both traditional classical and contemporary
music to new audiences. Through thoughtful and adventurous programming, the
ensemble enables its audience members to bridge the chronological gap between
various styles and understand the close connections between today's music and the
music of the past.
Third Practice is named after a term for the late style of composer Claudio
Monteverdi, in which he is said to have fused elements of the older first practice
with the contemporary second practice, creating a rich new musical language.
For more information about Third Practice and its 2014-2015 season, please visit
www.thirdpractice.com.

4610 Alton Place NW, Washington, DC 20016 | 202-232-7826 | www.thirdpractice.com