MSO Chorus
Conductor Bio
Dr. Daniel Rufino Afonso Jr.
Daniel R. Afonso, Jr. has served as conductor of the Modesto Symphony Orchestra Chorus since its foundation in 2001 and has since prepared several choral masterworks with the ensemble. He is also Associate Professor or Music and Director of Vocal and Choral Studies at California State University, Stanislaus. Afonso received a B.M.E. degree from the Universidade do Rio de Janeiro (UNI-Rio), a M.M. degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and a D.M.A. degree in Choral Conducting and Pedagogy from the University of Iowa. Dr. Afonso is originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and has studied conducting with Carlos Alberto Figueiredo, Cees Rotteveel, Eph Ehly, and William Hatcher.
Dr. Afonso has performed with choral groups in Brazil, U.S., and Europe, and has previously taught music at the Conservatório Brasileiro de Música and Doane College, Nebraska. In 1988, he won the first prize and a special award for the best performance of Villa-Lobos work at the Concurso Villa-Lobos de Canto Coral, a national choral competition sponsored by the Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro.
He has performed operatic roles in Gounod’s Romeo and Juliet, Nicolai’s The Merry Wives of Windsor, and Strauss’s Die Fledermaus, and has conducted many opera and musical theater productions, from Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado to Sondheim’s Company. Dr. Afonso is strongly committed to the performance of new music and has premiered several choral works in the last few years, including Michael Mitchell’s I Will Praise the Name of God with a Song (1997), Deborah Kavasch’s Amor (2001) and Feather on God’s Breath (2003), John Marvin’s Ophélie (2003), John Hillebrandt’s A Clear Midnight (2004), and several of his own compositions.
He is also a composer, arranger, and editor of choral music and has works published by earthsongs, Colla Voce Music, and Alliance Music Publications. He has been recognized for his research and performance of Brazilian choral music and continues to present workshops and lectures about the Latin American choral repertoire.
Dr. Afonso remains active as a voice instructor, clinician, and guest conductor. And his professional affiliations include the Ordem dos Músicos do Brasil, the International Federation for Choral Music, and the American Choral Directors Association.
Rehearsal Schedule
The Modesto Symphony Orchestra Chorus rehearsals for the 2009-2010 season are at 7:00 p.m. Monday evenings at Trinity United Presbyterian Church, 1600 Carver Road, Modesto.This season the Chorus will perform with the Modesto Symphony Orchestra in the Holiday Pops concerts on December 4 and 5 at the Gallo Center for the Arts, the Holiday Candlelight Concert on December 22 at St. Stanislaus Catholic Church, and the Verdi Requiem concerts on May 14 and 15 at the Gallo Center for the Arts.
Auditions
Auditions for singers wishing to join the Chorus mid-season will be held on January 18 and 25, 2010, from 6:30 to 7:00 p.m. at Trinity United Presbyterian Church, 1600 Carver Road, Modesto. Prospective singers are strongly urged to pre-schedule audition times through the MSO Chorus Manager in order to guarantee that Dr. Daniel R. Afonso, Jr., artistic director and conductor, will be able to hear them as planned. Openings exist in all sections of the Chorus; tenors and basses are especially urged to audition.
For more information about auditions and/or the Chorus, please e-mail Burt Vasché, MSO Chorus Manager, at chorus@modestosymphony.org or call 526-9692.