Above: The Bexley High School Vocal Ensemble performs an arrangement of the traditional Haitian song Papa Loko. It's not every day that a high school choir gives a world premiere of a new work written specifically for them. But for the Bexley High School Vocal Ensemble, Tuesday, February 25  is that day. "It's wonderful, but it's a lot of pressure," said Bexley High School choir director Amy Blosser of the Vocal Ensemble's upcoming world premiere of Haitian composer Sydney Guillaume's Blogodop. "We are going to be premiering this work and we want to make sure we do it justice, so it's a little nerve-racking, but it's exciting at the same time." Guillaume himself will be in attendance at Tuesday's concert and world premiere, 7 p.m. at Bexley High School's Schottenstein Auditorium. The performance is a culmination of a two-day residency Guillaume will lead with Bexley High School's choir students and funded by a grant through the Bexley City Schools' International/Multicultural Education Program. Tuesday's concert also marks a milestone in the exciting journey that brought Haitian choral music to Bexley High School and that brought about Guillaume's Bexley commission, residency and world premiere. Hear Sydney Guillaume and Amy Blosser tell their story live on Classical 101, Monday, February 24 at 1 pm.
Jennifer Hambrick unites her extensive backgrounds in the arts and media and her deep roots in Columbus to bring inspiring music to central Ohio as Classical 101’s midday host. Jennifer performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago before earning a Ph.D. in musicology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.