Dear Friends,
Dr. Scott Morris, Director of the 2007 Guitar Foundation of America Conference, recently gave the west coast premiere of Anthony Glise’s Stabat Mater Speciosa (The Beautiful Standing Mother), “The Blue Virgin.” The work is a Christmas cavatina written for solo classical guitar and chorale with Latin and English texts from an obscure 14th-Century poem that Glise discovered at the French National Library in Paris. The Speciosa text appears to be an alteration of the better-known Stabat Mater Dolorosa from the same period.
This Los Angeles area premiere was conducted by Dr. Sally Etcheto leading the California State University-Domengiuez Hills Chorale with performances on the CSU campus as well as for the Long Beach Guitar Society.
Glise’s composition was originally premiered in 2005 in St. Joseph, Missouri with the composer accompanying the St. Joseph Chamber Choir with the European premiere later that season in Lille, France.
Glise will be performing his Stabat as well as his staged composition, “The Missouri Fables” along with noted guitarist, Jason Riley and the St. Joseph Chamber Choir, conducted by Dr. David Benz, at the Jefferson City Capitol Building for the presentation of the 2007 Governor’s Award for the Arts on February 7, 2007 at 12:00 PM. Glise was the 2006 recipient of the “Individual Artist of the Year” from Governor Matt Blunt and the Missouri Arts Council.
Glise’s Stabat Mater is currently being presented on tour throughout Europe with the Chor de Joie, conducted by Antoine deBois and guitarist, Marie-Caroline Lebriez and will be one of the primary works that Chor de Joie will use in the 2007 Romaine International Chorale Competition in Provence, France this summer.
