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The Gregg Smith Singers (= GSS) is a mixed chorus from the USA, directed by Gregg Smith. The group, which comprises 16 singers, was founded at an all-Japanese Methodist church in West Los Angeles, California in 1955, when Gregg Smith was a graduate teaching assistant in the music department of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). In 1958 the group took its first step toward international recognition with a European tour that included an appearance at the Brussels World's Fair. Soon after, the GSS came to the attention of Igor Stravinsky, and in 1959 they began a 12-year association which ended with Gregg Smith traveling to Venice, at the family's request, to prepare the chorus and orchestra for Igor Stravinsky's funeral.
The GSS made a second European tour in 1961 which culminated in a spectacular concert at the Edinburgh Festival and a subsequent Time magazine article. A national touring contract followed, and, to date, the Singers have made 38 national tours, plus a dozen European tours, three tours of the Far East, and a trip to Mexico to perform and record contemporary choral music of Mexico for Newport Classics.
The GSS's repertoire ranges from the colonial-era American compositions of William Billings to contemporary works by Morton Feldman as well as many works by Gregg Smith himself. They have also performed works by William Duckworth, Arnold Schoenberg, Elliott Carter, Charles Ives, Earle Brown, Edwin London, Blas Galindo, Jorge Córdoba, Harold Blumenfeld, Irving Fine, Morton Gould, William Schuman, Louise Talma, Arthur Sullivan, and Ned Rorem. The GSS' commitment to performing works of living composers and contemporary music, can be seen in the following achievements. In 1973, the GSS initiated both its New York City concert series and the Adirondack Festival of American Music (AFAM) in Saranac Lake, New York. Both programs have continued annually and provide the major sources for development of the Singers' American repertoire. In addition, the concert programs have presented a representative selection of traditional European choral literature. Still, American choral music accounts for roughly 70% of the Singers' overall programming. It may also be important to note that, on average, the GSS perform four premieres at every program. The summer of 2006 marked the final season of AFAM - after 33 years. However GSS’s New York City Concert Series continues. This 2007-2008 season marks its 36th year and is distinguished by the NEA American Masterpieces Festiaval — 5 choirs in 4 concerts celebrating The Gregg Smith Singers Legacy.
The GSS has also performed early music by composers such as Giovanni Gabrieli and Heinrich Schütz. They have also made a well received yuletide album entitled "Christmas Songs from around the World" whose arrangements have also been performed by other choruses, chorales, and choirs as well. The GSS have performed with numerous orchestras.
The GSS have recorded over 100 albums, on the Albany, Columbia, Cp2, CRI, Koch International Classics, Lovely Music, New World, Newport Classic, Sony, Crown, and Vox labels.
The GSS have received recognition throughout their existence, including three Grammy awards, two Montreux awards and the Stereo Review 1966 Record of the Year award for their Columbia recording of the music of the Revolutionary American composer, William Billings. Other awards specifically honor Gregg Smith's dedication to contemporary American music. For example, Gregg Smith and Robert Shaw are the only choral conductors to receive the Alice M. Ditson Conductor's Award. In 1988, the Singers were presented with the Berliavsky Award from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters for the group’s tremendous support of American music. In 1992 and 1996, the ASCAP Chorus America Award was presented to the Singers "for adventuresome programming of contemporary music". In 2001, Chorus America awarded Gregg Smith and the GSS the prestigious Margaret Hillis Award for choral excellence and in November 2003, the American Composers Alliance gave Gregg Smith their Laurel Leaf Award for distinguished achievement in fostering and encouraging American music. Most recently, at the Chorus America National Convention in June 2004, Gregg Smith was chosen to receive the Louis Botto award for Entrepreneurial Spirit, presented “for a lifetime of devotion to choral music and unflagging creativity in finding ways to bring it to a broader public, through outstanding performances, recordings and the preservation and dissemination of choral manuscripts." |
