2022-2023 SEASON

Considering Matthew Shepard

a fusion oratorio by Craig Hella Johnson
In October of 1998, Matthew Shepard, a young, gay student at the University of Wyoming in Laramie was kidnapped, severely beaten, tied to a fence and left to die in a lonely field under a blanket of stars. Five days later, when Matt passed away, the world was watching. Approaching the eve of the 20th anniversary, Craig Hella Johnson has responded with his first concert-length work, Considering Matthew Shepard .
This three-part fusion oratorio speaks with a fresh and bold voice, incorporating a variety of musical styles seamlessly woven into a unified whole. Johnson sets a wide range of poetic and soulful texts by poets including Hildegard of Bingen, Lesléa Newman, Michael Dennis Browne, and Rumi. Passages from Matt’s personal journal, interviews and writings from his parents Judy and Dennis Shepard, newspaper reports and additional texts by Johnson and Browne are poignantly appointed throughout the work. Below is a short video from Craig Hella Johnson on what you will hear during the performance.
Advanced ticket reservations required, and while suggested donation is $20.00 per ticket, please donate whatever you are comfortable with. Please bring a printed copy of your reservation or be ready to show it on your phone. As seating is limited, if you make a reservation and are unable to attend, kindly cancel your reservation in advance to allow others the opportunity.
Doors will open 30 minutes prior to the show.
2019-2020 SEASON

Michael Hoppé:
​Requiem for Peace & Reconciliation

Grammy nominated composer Michael Hoppé, the Sedona Academy of Chamber Singers, choir-in-residence at The Church of the Red Rocks, and the Tetra String Quartet will present a concert of Hoppé's choral arrangements, including a world-premiere performance of Requiem for Peace & Reconciliation. 

Michael Hoppé is a GRAMMY© nominated composer with exceptional melodic talent, and distinctive evocative style. He has an extensive background in both pop and classical music, which his recordings reflect.  Hoppe’s music is performed and heard internationally including HBO’s “The Sopranos”, Oprah Winfrey Show, Michael Moore’s documentary “Sicko”, David Volach’s “My Father, My Lord”, “Misunderstood” (starring Gene Hackman), and the multi-award winning short “Eyes of the Wind” which reached the Oscar nomination shortlist.
The concert will feature the world premiere of Michael’s “Requiem for Peace & Reconciliation,” scored for choir and string quartet accompaniment. Consisting of 8 movements, and part of the Catholic Mass, Michael Hoppé describes it as “one of my very best works.”  Original works for solo piano, violin, and cello will also be performed.
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This free performance is presented by The Church of the Red Rocks as a gift to the people of Sedona and the Verde Valley from The Friends of Music at The Church of the Red Rocks. ​

Sunday, June 9 at 2 p.m. 
The Church of the Red Rocks
54 Bowstring Drive
Sedona, Arizona
2019-2020 SEASON

Come Away to the Skies

Join us for an afternoon of bluegrass music as the Sedona Academy of Chamber Singers perform Come Away to the Skies: A High Lonesome Mass by Wes Ramsay and Tim Sharp featuring composer Tim Sharp on banjo, along with local bluegrass musicians.
 
Come Away to the Skies: A High, Lonesome Mass has seen hundreds of performances around the US, Canada, Ireland and the UK, including presentations at Carnegie Hall and the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. This is an SATB complete choral setting of the Ordinary of the Mass incorporating traditional Southern hymns, such as Do Lord Remember Me, Brethren We Have Met To Worship, and Brightest and Best, that carry forward the ideas of the individual sections of the mass: Introit; Kyrie; Gloria; Credo; Sanctus; Benedictus; and Agnus Dei. It is scored for choir and bluegrass band: fiddle, banjo, mandolin, guitar, bass and drumset in brushes. The SATB choral score includes a piano accompaniment for rehearsal and performance, and the instrumental parts are available in standard jazz notation format, as well as in Nashville number charts format.
source: jwpepper.com
 
This free performance is presented by The Church of the Red Rocks as a gift to the people of Sedona and the Verde Valley from The Friends of Music at The Church of the Red Rocks. ​

Sunday, August 18 at 2:00 p.m.
The Church of the Red Rocks
54 Bowstring Drive
​Sedona, Arizona
2018-2019 SEASON

From The Heart

Sedona Academy of Chamber singers presents a dynamic concert exploring human emotions through stunning choral music. This concert will feature such composers as Morten Lauridsen, Arvo Pärt, and Eric Whitacre. Listen as the program takes you through a journey through singing sadness to joy, anger to forgiveness, and fear to love.
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This free performance is presented by The Church of the Red Rocks as a gift to the people of Sedona and the Verde Valley from The Friends of Music at The Church of the Red Rocks. ​

Sunday, August 19 at 2 p.m. 
The Church of the Red Rocks
54 Bowstring Drive
Sedona, Arizona
2017-2018 SEASON

Aurora

Our concert presentation entitled Aurora (latin for “Dawn”), will feature choral music that will revolve around the turning of a twenty-four hour day and will feature the music of Claudio Monteverdi, Johannes Brahms, Daniel Elder, and Stephan Chatman.
 
This free performance is presented by The Church of the Red Rocks as a gift to the people of Sedona and the Verde Valley from The Friends of Music at The Church of the Red Rocks, underwritten by John and Suzanne Moore on the high occasion of their 50th wedding anniversary.

Sunday, August 20 at 2:00 p.m.
The Church of the Red Rocks
54 Bowstring Drive
​Sedona, Arizona
2016-2017 SEASON

The Poet Sings

Sedona Academy of Chamber Singers is pleased to present a choral concert titled: The Poet Sings. The Poet Sings will feature choral settings of texts by famous poets, including Robert Frost, Octavio Paz, Walt Whitman, Rainer Maria Rilke, and William Shakespeare in celebration of the 400th anniversary of his death.
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This free performance is presented by The Church of the Red Rocks as a gift to the people of Sedona and the Verde Valley from The Friends of Music at The Church of the Red Rocks. ​ 

Sunday, August 21 at 2 p.m. 
The Church of the Red Rocks
54 Bowstring Drive
Sedona, Arizona
2015-2016 SEASON

Down By The Riverside

Please join us for a concert celebrating American composers, namely Black American and African-American works and composers. This program will feature such prominent composers as Rollo Dilworth, Moses Hogan, and William L. Dawson in a musical journey of spirituals, gospel, and other American classics.
 
This free performance is presented by The Church of the Red Rocks as a gift to the people of Sedona and the Verde Valley from The Friends of Music at The Church of the Red Rocks, underwritten by John and Suzanne Moore on the high occasion of their 50th wedding anniversary.

Sunday, August 23 at 2:00 p.m.
The Church of the Red Rocks
54 Bowstring Drive
​Sedona, Arizona
2014-2015 SEASON

One World, Many Voices

Sedona Academy of Chamber Singers presents a concert of choral music from around the world. From Venezuela to France, Russia to Zambia, this program will take you around the world exploring an incredible array of language, culture, and traditional song. 
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This free performance is presented by The Church of the Red Rocks as a gift to the people of Sedona and the Verde Valley from The Friends of Music at The Church of the Red Rocks. ​ 

Sunday, August 17 at 2 p.m. 
The Church of the Red Rocks
54 Bowstring Drive
Sedona, Arizona
2013-2014 SEASON

Elemental

A concert reflecting the invocation of the elements through choral music. Earth, air, fire, & water.
 
This free performance is presented by The Church of the Red Rocks as a gift to the people of Sedona and the Verde Valley from The Friends of Music at The Church of the Red Rocks, underwritten by John and Suzanne Moore on the high occasion of their 50th wedding anniversary.

Sunday, August 18 at 2:00 p.m.
The Church of the Red Rocks
54 Bowstring Drive
​Sedona, Arizona
2012-2013 SEASON

Made in America

Join us for an afternoon of American choral music at its best. Featuring all your favorite American composers old and new, such as, Eric Whitacre, Samuel Barber, René Clausen, and many more.
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This free performance is presented by The Church of the Red Rocks as a gift to the people of Sedona and the Verde Valley from The Friends of Music at The Church of the Red Rocks. ​ 

Saturday, August 18 at 7 p.m.
​AND
Sunday, August 19 at 2 p.m. 
The Church of the Red Rocks
54 Bowstring Drive
Sedona, Arizona
2011-2012 SEASON

Sedona Academy of Chamber Singers 
IN CONCERT

Please join us for an afternoon of song presented by the Sedona Academy of Chamber Singers. In our second year, this dynamic choral group is proud to present a breathtaking concert of choral music. 
 
This free performance is presented by The Church of the Red Rocks as a gift to the people of Sedona and the Verde Valley from The Friends of Music at The Church of the Red Rocks, underwritten by John and Suzanne Moore on the high occasion of their 50th wedding anniversary.

Sunday, August 21 at 2:00 p.m.
The Church of the Red Rocks
54 Bowstring Drive
​Sedona, Arizona
2010-2011 INAUGURAL SEASON

Sedona Academy of Chamber Singers 
IN CONCERT

Please join us for our FIRST ever concert presentation, introducing the newest semi-professional choral group of the southwest: the Sedona Academy of Chamber Singers.  
 
This free performance is presented by The Church of the Red Rocks as a gift to the people of Sedona and the Verde Valley from The Friends of Music at The Church of the Red Rocks, underwritten by John and Suzanne Moore on the high occasion of their 50th wedding anniversary.

Sunday, August 22 at 2:00 p.m.
The Church of the Red Rocks
54 Bowstring Drive
​Sedona, Arizona