CLU concerts bid farewell to chorale�s director

(THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – February 25, 2008) California Lutheran University will host farewell concerts for Los Robles Master Chorale conductor James Stemen at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 15, and 4 p.m. Sunday, March 16.

“Celebrate 30 Years” will honor Stemen, the Westlake Village resident who founded the group and has directed it for 30 seasons. The program will feature choral favorites from past seasons, including Norman Dello Joio’s “A Jubilant Song,” Beethoven’s “Hallelujah” from “Mount of Olives,” and Claudio Monteverdi’s “Ecco Momorar l’Onde.” The concert will also include a look toward the future, including the premiere performance of “Canticle to the Waterbirds” by chorale accompanist Wilbur Skeels of Thousand Oaks.

Featured soloists will be alto Leanna Brand, tenor Gabriel Reoyo-Pazos, bass John Ross Nelson and sopranos Marilyn Anderson, Karen Winner Huff, Deborah Mayhan and Ruth Robertson.

Stemen retired from Moorpark College in 2006 after 37 years on the music faculty. He has master’s degrees in music education and sacred music and has participated in workshops with such conductors as Paul Salamunovich, Robert Shaw and Roger Wagner.

Under Stemen’s direction, the Los Robles Master Chorale has premiered many works and taken six international concert tours, performing in such venues as Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, Duomo di Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence and the Salzburg Cathedral.

The CLU concerts will be in Samuelson Chapel, located near the corner of Olsen Road and Campus Drive in Thousand Oaks. The audience is invited to a reception following the March 16 concert.

Tickets are $18 at the door, $15 in advance, $12 for groups of 10 or more, and free with current CLU I.D. For advance tickets, call (805) 827-3943.

CLU’s Music Department is sponsoring the concert. For more information, please call (805) 493-3306 or visit http://www.callutheran.edu/music.