The voices that soared in what many in Vero hoped would become a tradition of springtime requiem masses have been silenced, at least temporarily, in the wake of the departure of Jose Daniel Flores as Community Church’s music director.
The suspension of the two-year-old Atlantic Symphonic Chorus, as well as the smaller, more established Atlantic Schola Cantorum, is due to staffing shortages, now that Flores has left to run a community chorus in Albany, NY.
Also gone from the church’s music calendar are big name groups for the Community Concert Series, that in the past has included the Vienna Boys Choir, Tokyo String Quartet, and most recently Chanticleer and Canadian Brass, both of which lost money for the church, even though they drew audiences of 600, according to Ryan Kasten, interim director of music at Community Church.
He blames an overabundance of musical events elsewhere in Vero’s season, “a wonderful problem to have,” he adds. “But it’s one of the issues we had to take into consideration, as well as how much people will pay.”
Instead, the concert series this year will showcase resident ensembles like Tapestry Brass, the Atlantic Ringers, and the Atlantic Children’s Chorale, as well as the church’s own choir.
Another major change: the musical performances will be free, with donations accepted but no ticket required.
“We were literally making ourselves frustrated trying to provide all this, and worrying about whether these concerts would break even.”
He casts aside the adage that people only appreciate what they pay for. “We are doing this as part of the ministry of the church,” says Kasten. “We want to bring the best music we can to the concert series, at the lowest cost.”
Last year’s Brahms Requiem, and the Mozart Requiem before that, involved close to a hundred children and adult volunteer singers, plus paid soloists and musicians, enough for a small orchestra.
“It takes a lot of money to pull off a major work like that,” Kasten says. “It’s not just the time in prepping for that, but you’re constantly having to worry about how to pay for the orchestra, the soloists and the scores.”
The Atlantic Symphonic Chorus, specially created by Flores to perform the magnificent requiems, has been suspended. It comprised singers from the Atlantic Schola Cantorum, Atlantic Children’s Chorale and auditioned members of the church’s choir as well as singers in the community.
Of them, only the Atlantic Children’s Chorale remains.
That group, which used to charge a small admission price for its concerts, will now perform for free, part of the church’s new philosophy.
“I have to credit Space Coast Orchestra’s Aaron Collins for establishing this pay-as-you-can policy which makes the symphony available to all people,” Kasten says.
“We have the generous Quail Valley Foundation grants that have given us money to give students scholarships. But we have all their family and friends who want to hear those kids sing. To shell out $14 a ticket can be a hardship.” Charging for such concerts is “not why we’re here,” he says.
The next concert of the Atlantic Children’s Chorale will feature poetry set to song, and will take place Nov. 9 at 4 p.m. at Community Church.
While Kasten last year had to disband Mannerchor, an all-male chorus he founded, the Atlantic Ringers hand bell choir he created several years ago is alive and well. The ringers are rehearsing the most haunting bell music Kasten could find for a Halloween performance at Our Savior Lutheran Church, Oct. 26 at 7 p.m.
Meanwhile, Kasten is trying to fill the void left by the various changes through his own new position directing a Brevard-based chamber chorus. Kasten was recently named artistic director of the Indialantic Chamber Singers.
That group has now added performances in Vero, including one next week, with the theme “Around the World in 80 Minutes,” featuring songs from Japan, Spain, Brazil and Zambia.
The Indialantic Chamber Singers free concert is Sunday, Oct. 12 at 4 p.m. at Community Church.
Kasten is hoping that performance makes some Vero singers envious enough to join a Vero-based contingent of the choral group. That group would be at a level similar to that of the Atlantic Schola Cantorum, he says: music professionals or serious students, able to read music well enough to take his direction on advanced works.
The Vero singers would rehearse weekly at Community Church, then join in with the rest for concerts. The Indialantic Chamber Singers give four concerts a year, with three performances of each concert: two in Brevard County and one in Vero – at Community Church.
As for Kasten himself, his own role hasn’t changed much at Community, he claims. While administrators conduct a nationwide search for Flores’ replacement, Kasten continues with his customary tasks – along with directing the church choir from the bench of the piano or organ, arranging for and performing at funerals and weddings, and rehearsing on average 180 to 200 signers a week in music rehearsal.
“Honestly? It’s no different,” he says. “What people don’t realize – and it was great working with Jose Daniel – but everything he was involved with, I was involved with, but not always the other way around. My schedule didn’t lighten up because he was here. Now the only thing I’m doing differently is a few more upper-level decisions.”
