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About Kairos

Photo:
Michael Nelson ©2009.
The word
kairos
is from the ancient Greek meaning the right or opportune moment
(the supreme moment). The ancient Greeks had two words for time,
chronos
and kairos. While chronos refers to chronological
or sequential time, kairos signifies a time in between, a
moment of undetermined time in which something special happens.
It denotes the state of mind we hope to achieve in our music, in
which the past and future merge with the present in the
listener’s experience.
KAIROS: A Consort of Singers was formed in 1994 by
Brother Randall Horton, a member of the
Holy Cross Episcopal Monastery
in West Park, New York.
In 1996 the group was reorganized under its current Artistic
Director, Dr. Edward Lundergan. Ed brought a new focus
to Kairos, and the group has blossomed and matured under his
direction. Repertoire such as Britten's Hymn to St. Cecilia
and Five Flower Songs, Poulenc's Un Soir de Neige,
contemporary British composer Tarik O'Regan's The Ecstasies
Above, Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle, J. S. Bach's Singet dem Herrn
and Handel's Dixit Dominus are just some of the
demanding and complex works that the group regularly performs.
The group performs at various venues in the Hudson Valley, and
has also performed with instrumental groups such as the Hudson
Valley Philharmonic, the Bach Festival orchestra, and members of
the Hudson Valley Philharmonic String Quartet. In 2005
Kairos became artists-in-residence at Holy Cross Monastery
and performs concerts in the wonderful Chapel throughout the
year.
In the spring of
2006 Kairos expanded its mission and repertoire by creating a Bach
Cantata Series, with performances of four cantatas in
2006 and six cantatas in 2007, 2008 and 2009. Community
response to the Bach Cantata Series has been
overwhelming, and Kairos again plans to present six cantatas in the
series' fifth year. For more information about the Bach
Cantata Series,
click here.
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