Chamber Orchestra of Florida

Why a Lullaby February 21, 2008

In January of 2008, I celebrated the 12th anniversary of my first lullaby. In 1996, I had accepted this invitation to become the godfather of a new son whose parents were our dear friends.

My first encounter with this beautiful boy-child, sleeping serenely in his crib, convinced me that the Hallmark card I had in my pocket would not be an adequate homage to the new baby. So upon arrival home, I began composing an original lullaby to honor the new godson. I deemed the creative effort a success when the mother of the child began shedding tears after the first performance.

Word of mouth of this creative achievement quickly spread through the various branches of the family and I soon began receiving notes from sons and sons-in-law as to why their progeny did not merit a similar homage. As a result, there have been seven more lullabies composed  since 1996. Three will be performed by the Chamber Orchestra of Florida under Richard Cormier. Adelaide Boedecker will be the soprano soloist.

Daniel Moe 2/17/08

Daniel Moe February 21, 2008

Daniel Moe has had a long and distinguished career on the podium and in the choral classroom. A major educational force in choral conducting and literature, Dr. Moe developed distinguished graduate programs at the University of Iowa before being named Director of Choral Studies at Oberlin College Conservatory of Music. He has since served as visiting professor at Concordia College and Boston University and as Music Director of Key Chorale, the official chorus of the Florida West Coast Symphony.

He has over 40 compositions in print, was a contributor to A Choral Symposium, and is the author of the standard choral conducting text Problems in Conducting. In his half century on the podium, Dr. Moe brought every landmark choral-orchestral work to performance and has conducted in Carnegie Hall, Town Hall, the Kennedy Center, and Lincoln Center.

Dr. Moe’s many accolades include the Canticum Novum award from Wittenburg University, an Honorary Citation from the Bruckner Society of America, the McGowen Memorial Award, a Danforth Foundation fellowship, and two honorary doctorates.

He was once hailed  by New Yorker music critic Andrew Porter as “…that dean of choral conductors.”

He studied at Concordia College, University of Washington, University of Iowa, Kirchenmusicschule and the Aspen School of Music. His composition teachers include Paul J. Christiansen, Norman Lockwood and Darius Milhaud.

Adelaide Boedecker February 21, 2008

Adelaide Boedecker, soprano, a native of Sarasota, is currently a freshman at the University of Florida majoring invocal performance and arts administration. Performing with the Sarasota Opera and its Youth Opera since 1996, she made her professional debut as Barbarina in the Sarasota Opera’s main-stage production of Le Nozze di Figaro in 2006, becoming the first youth ever cast in a principal role in a main-stage production with the company. Additionally, she is a chorister and featured soprano with the Church of the Redeemer in Sarasota. This spring she will be a soloist in UF’s “Opera Outreach” program. She is also in the company of the University’s Spring 2008 production of The Mikado and sings with the University Choir. In February, she appeared with Musica Sacra in their inaugural concert as featured soprano in Carisimi’s Jephthah. She has studied with Dr. and Ann Stephenson-Moe, Paula Page, Dr. Anthony Offerle, and has completed master classes with Sherrill Milnes and Dame Kiri Te Kanawa.