“Les Elements”: Vocal Excellence

When: December 1, 2010, 7:30-8:30 p.m.
Where: Ray Charles Performing Arts Center at Morehouse College (830 Westview Drive SW, Atlanta, GA 30310).

When: December 3, 2010, 8:00-9:00 p.m.
Where: Cathedral of St. Philip (2744 Peachtree Road NW, Atlanta GA 30305).


“Les Eléments,” a stunning French chamber choir conducted by its founder Joël Suhubiette, has in just a few years established itself as one of the leading lights of French choral life, winning the Prix Liliane Bettencourt for choral singing awarded by the Academy of Fine Arts of the Institut de France in 2005 and and in 2006 they were Ensemble of the Year at the Victoires de la Musique Classique awards.

Les Eléments perform works spanning from Renaissance to contemporary and are regularly commissioned by today’s composers. A cappella or with instrumental ensemble, the choir has graced the world’s biggest national and international stages.

The choir will present both a contemporary and classic repertoire for two separate concerts—December 1 at Morehouse College’s brand new Ray Charles Performing Arts Center and December 3 in the stunning cathedral of St. Philip’s Episcopal Church.

December 1 at Morehouse College the choir will perform “I Had a Dream,” a voice-bass drum-electronic fusion, by composer Zad Moultaka. The piece represents Martin Luther King’s dream of justice and unity. The chorus harmonically follows the fluctuations of his famous speech from the 1963 civil rights March on Washington. The sung and chanted text is mixed with fragments of victims’ testimonies from the 2005 Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. The choir will also perform pieces of Méditerranée (see below).

"Méditerranée - ancient and modern polyphonies in Hebrew, Aramaic, Latin and ancient Greek."
Beyond just the cultures and religions, this program travels across the shores of the Mediterranean Basin, giving the audience the opportunity to hear four of its languages—Hebrew, Latin, Aramaic and Greek—and taking a journey through several centuries of music.

Both concerts will be free and open to the public.



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