Written by Mary Dan Eades on April 4, 2014
The Choral Music World has suffered a disruption in the force. The family of Los Angeles Master Chorale Conductor Emeritus Paul Salamunovich made this much-dreaded announcement today:
Paul passed away last night at 11:25PM. He died peacefully surrounded by love and listening to the “In Paradisum” from the Durufle Requiem, so he heard the angels welcoming him into paradise. You have all been so kind and generous with your prayers and the entire Salamunovich family thanks you from the bottom of our hearts for your compassion and your love for Paul and for us all. This has been a long journey for Paul and he fought courageously and patiently with few complaints as he endured challenges beyond any we could imagine for the past seven months. In the end, multiple systems began to fail and he gently left us and went home to be with Nanette, his mother and God. We will be releasing information about services for him as we can make them and will keep everyone informed. Most Gratefully, The Salamunovich Family and especially, Paul.
We at Santa Barbara Choral Society will miss him and long remember him and his contribution to the choral arts. The choral world has lost a shining star, but the heavenly chorus has gained a conductor. Requiem aeternam, luceat eis, Domine!
American baritone, Ralph Cato has travelled the world extensively, telling stories in song with his warm, clarion baritone voice.
Tenor, Benjamin Brecher has performed over fifty operatic roles with many of the world’s most prestigious opera companies, specializing in the high lying lyric tenor repertoire. He has performed 16 roles with New York City Opera alone. Career highlights include performances with Opera Orchestra of New York, L’Opera de Nice, Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, L’Opera de Montreal, Santa Fe Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, among many others. His orchestral solo repertoire includes Mozart, Handel, Orff, Bach, Haydn, as well as many performances of Britten. In 2000 he began performing the great Irish Tenor songs in a concert produced for him entitled A Celtic Celebration, Twenty years later, the show has become a North American hit with performances with 45 Symphonies in North America. Ben continues his discography having added his twelfth recording in 2016 Forgotten Liszt, with pianist Robert Koenig, and will record a new release in 2022 entitled “Three Centuries of Thomas Moore” including the music of Britten, Berlioz, and Sarah Gibson on MSR Classics. He is a Professor of Voice at University of California Santa Barbara, where he has served as the Head of Voice.
Tracy Van Fleet is pleased to return to the Santa Barbara Choral Society. As a soloist, she has performed with the Los Angeles Master Chorale, Lüneburg Symphony in Germany, Orquesta Filarmónica de Boca del Río in Mexico, Pasadena Symphony, Naples Philharmonic, Los Angeles Bach Festival, San Diego Chamber Orchestra, Colorado Philharmonic, USC Symphony and Chorus, and others. She has had many appearances with the Los Angeles Opera, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Pacific Symphony, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Opera Pacific, San Diego Opera and Opera Colorado.
Born and raised in Southern California, April Amante is a versatile soprano with expertise and facility in repertoire spanning from early music to contemporary musical theater.