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In an interview with Singer Network, conductor Murry Sidlin tells of the creation of the Defiant Requiem project and the rediscovery of the powerful story behind it.

If you've sung the Verdi Requiem, or heard it performed, you have experienced its raw power and emotion-from the terrifying "Dies Irae" (or Day of Wrath), to the ebullient "Sanctus" (Holy) to the pleading "Libera Me" (Free me, Lord, from eternal death).

Now imagine it is 1941 in Terezín, a Czech town-turned-concentration-camp, where large numbers of musicians and artists, predominately Jewish, were being detained by the Nazis. In a cold basement around a legless upright piano, an ad hoc chorus of prisoners sits before Rafael Schaechter, a young composer and conductor from Prague. It is late, but they are rehearsing the Verdi Requiem, as if their lives depended on it.

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Mormon Tabernacle Choir Tops Billboard Charts 

Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing: American Folk Hymns and Spirituals reaches the No. 1 spot on the classical music charts.
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Music for Taxing Times 

Please tell me that you are not, at this moment, at your desk surrounded by all the detritus of tax season - tiny scraps of paper that might be “deductible” if you could read them, chewed up No. 2 pencils, half empty coffee cups (or, more likely, fully-drained glasses of scotch). If this is indeed you, don’t sit there in silence! Do your taxes with accompaniment.
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Spotlight on Eric Whitacre  

Spellbinding compositions: check. "Prince Charming" hairstyle and winning good looks: check. Approachable, easy-going demeanor: check. Ah, it's no wonder Eric Whitacre has reached heartthrob status in the choral music world. Singer Network takes a look at the man behind the cluster chords.
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Ligeti in Winter 

February, in my memory, was the month of the worst Nor’easters, bringing snows four feet deep drifting to 15. This February, the San Francisco Symphony Chorus is rallying as the result of a different sort of perfect storm: Ligeti’s Requiem. The 20-part, 20-minute piece, known best for its use in 2001, A Space Odyssey, ranks as one of the most difficult the Chorus has prepared.
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Conquering the B Minor Mass  

Love it or hate it, we can all agree that the Bach B Minor Mass is a seminal piece in choral music. But, love it or hate it, we can all agree that it takes Olympian fortitude to learn and perform. In an interview with Singer Network, professor Dennis Shrock gives us a better understanding of the man behind the music, the work itself, and what we can do to succeed.
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Mining for Gems: Part Two 

Choral music sleuth Helene Whitson has sifted through used CD bins and trolled the Internet to bring you more of the best but obscure choral recordings out there.
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Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll 

Among the zipped up, stiffly starched giants of the choral repertoire, Carmina Burana is the bad girl who can't seem to keep her blouse buttoned.
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Choral Masterworks: Is Any One Version “The Best”? 

In a Singer Network interview, choral conductor Tom Hall pulls back the veil on several well-loved choral works.
 

Mining for Gems: Part One 

A choral music "sleuth" noses around in music stores and online to find the best choral CDs you’ve never heard of.
 

The Real Mozart Effect 

Of all the claims made about the power of music, Mozart has gotten the most press. A singer imagines a conversation with the Maestro himself about this unusual development.
 
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