Waukesha Choral Union “Awakening and Renewal” Concert A Brusubardis Family Affair

May 1, 2012 - PRLog -- Waukesha, Wis.  – Waukesha Choral Union’s “Awakening and Renewal” concert on Saturday, May 5, 2012, at 7:00 p.m. at St. William Parish in Waukesha will be a family affair for artistic director Ernest “Ernie” Brusubardis III. He will conduct the performance of choral selections spanning four centuries through today, his wife, Indra, will be singing in the chorus, and four of his children will be playing in the Brusubardis Strings on the program.

Ariana, Daniella, Sonora, and Victor Brusubardis have been playing together since their first years of Suzuki Violin, each one joining in as they began their studies. They started lessons between the ages of 3 and 5. All quartet members have been part of Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra (MYSO) since 5th or 6th grade.  Viktor will travel with MYSO Senior Symphony to Vienna and Prague this summer for a Concert/Travel tour.

Ernest and Kristian, two older siblings, and Viktor have played on two previous Waukesha Choral Union concerts. For this May concert, father Ernie deemed it fitting to include an instrumental section in the concert repertoire.  As the two older sons are off to college, the four siblings at home were enlisted. They will be performing Mozart’s “Eine Kline Nachtmusic” K. 525.

Sonora, the youngest says, “Playing with my siblings is fun because it gives us a chance to communicate through music.” Viktor, the oldest, adds, “Performing with my sisters is a joy, because it forms a bond that can only be achieved through music.”

The Brusubardis Strings are no stranger to public performances. They have played the Villa Terrace Cafe Sopra Mare series, Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist Noon Concert series, Latvian Community Events, United Performing Arts Fund (UPAF) engagements on behalf of MYSO, and performances at nursing homes.

Mother, Indra, muses, “Music is something my husband and I have been involved with our whole lives.  We certainly didn't set out to form a family ensemble, but as the children grew, we realized we all shared the same passion for music and music-making, and for doing it as a family.  Music lifts us all to things more noble than our earthly surroundings.  Music engages our spirit and our communication in a way only the arts can.”

Selections on “Awakening and Renewal” include works by J.S. Bach, Johannes Brahms, George Frideric Handel, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Léo Delibes, Williametta Spencer, Morten Lauridsen, David Childs, Lee Dengler, and Paul Basler.

General admission seating is $15 for adults, $13 for seniors/students, $4 children 11 and under. Tickets are available from Choral Union members, online at http://www.ChoralUnion.org, by phone at 414-297-9310, and at all Waukesha State Bank locations.

St. William Catholic Parish, 440 North Moreland Boulevard, Waukesha, is a thriving, Eucharist centered, service oriented congregation of over 2,100 families. Facilities are accessible to persons with disabilities.

The 2011-2012 Waukesha Choral Union season, “Heaven and Nature Sing,” is sponsored in part by grants from the Arts Alliance of Waukesha County, and the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Ernest Brusubardis III, artistic director of the Waukesha Choral Union, is a graduate of UW-Milwaukee with the Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Music and the Master’s Degree in Music Education with an emphasis on choral conducting. His other choral directorships include the advanced ensembles of Hartford Union High School and the Brusubardis-Dzimtene Latvian Choir.  He also serves as music director for many community theater productions throughout Southeastern Wisconsin.

Waukesha Choral Union has been musically active in the community for over 60 years. It presents four concerts each season between October and May. WCU was featured in WISN-TV’s “Season to Celebrate” broadcast during Christmas of 2011. Originally a combination of the Carroll College student chorus and community singers named Waukesha Choral Society in 1949, the group became the Town and Gown in 1961 and the Waukesha Choral Union in 1974, taking its present form as an auditioned choir in 1978. Recent collaborative partners include the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Bel Canto Chorus of Milwaukee, Milwaukee Choristers, Carroll University Choirs, Waukesha South High School A Cappella Choir, Muskego High School Chorale and Chamber Choir, and the Hartford Union High School Concert Choir. For more information visit http://www.choralunion.org.