Today we’d like to introduce you to Jamie Kirsch.
Jamie, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
There was music playing in my house all the time; musicals, Star Wars, Beatles, etc.
My grandmother bought the family a piano when I was 7; began lessons around that time. I had wonderful, inspiring, caring teachers throughout elementary, middle and high school. I was fortunate enough to attend three of the finest institutions in America: University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Yale and Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Again, it was my teachers and colleagues all along the way who inspired me, taught me.
After completing my degrees, I was lucky to land a one-year job at Vanderbilt’s Blair School of Music; my wife Diana Lemly was completing medical school at Vanderbilt at the time. We moved to Boston in 2008 so she could pursue a residency at Mass General Hospital. Again, I was lucky, the Cambridge Community Chorus hired me as their new music director even though I had not yet moved to Boston. So many of the people I met and worked with for five years in that position remain close friends, many like family.
Alongside my work with Chorus pro Musica, I also teach alongside world-class scholars and performers at Tufts University, in their beautiful Granoff Music Center. This will be my eighth year there; could not ask to be part of a finer, more supportive, inclusive, diverse, excellent music department.
I’m stepping into my 5th year as Music Director at Chorus pro Musica and together we have performed some of the greatest choral works ever written, such as, Bach B Minor Mass; Stravinsky’s Les Noces with BoSoma Dance Company and Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis; and I’ve had the pleasure of watching CpM perform in Symphony Hall after preparing them to sing Beethoven Symphony 9, Mahler 2, Verdi Requiem, and more.
Finally, my wife, my two children Amelia and Henry, and my extended family have supported me through everything; none of this would be possible without them.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The music business, like many others, is tough, and great music is expensive!
People often have strong opinions, and sometimes decisions are difficult. My guide is to always do what I think is best for our community; the singers and our devoted patrons. With funding so incredibly tight, we continually come together to do creative, and innovative projects without breaking the bank. It’s not always easy, but it’s always incredibly inspiring when we get there.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Chorus pro Musica – what should we know?
I am the Music Director of Chorus pro Musica.
We are continually pushing the envelope and I think that has become our calling card.
I’m most proud of the breadth and depth of repertoire we perform and the high quality we aim for and achieve. We have performed great masterworks such as Bach B minor mass, and Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis; we have commissioned brand new works such as Kallembach’s “Tryal of Father Christmas,” and “Spencer the Rover” and the upcoming in “In Childhood’s Thicket” note by local composer, Andy Vores.
We have done the Bluegrass Mass with a bluegrass band and “Annelies” about the life of Anne Frank. We have sung in countless different languages and have increasingly included works by minority composers, including works by women.
Last spring, we ventured into musical theater with a critically acclaimed concert performance of Gershwin’s “Of Thee I Sing”.
I’m proud that we are so versatile: from western classical, to spirituals, jazz, bluegrass, and musical theater. In the seasons to come, we’ll endeavor to do even more.
Contact Info:
- Address: 645 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116
- Website: www.ChorusProMusica.org
- Phone: (617) 267-7442
- Email: manager@choruspromusica.org
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/choruspromusica
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/choruspromusica
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
