CBA Ode to Joy

MAREK RACHELSKI CBASO RESIDENT CONDUCTOR

Resident Conductor of the Chicago Bar Association Symphony Orchestra, Marek Rachelski enjoys a rich variety in his musical life as conductor, pianist/harpsichordist and as collaborative artist in recital. He has appeared with orchestras in the Czech Republic, Poland, Germany, Hungary, Canada, and the USA. He has served on the faculties of Loyola University and De Paul University. Rachelski is the Artistic Director of the Musica Lumina Orchestra and Conductor/Founder of the Niles Metropolitan Chorus (2013). In six seasons the NMC/ML has performed major works of the repertoire: Requiems of Cherubini, Mozart, Faure, Rutter; the Magnificats of Pärt, Bach, and Pergolesi; Gounod’s St. Cecilia Mass and selections from Faust and Romeo and Juliet, Haydn’s Creation, Rossini’s Stabat Mater, Mendelssohn’s Elijah and Lobgesang, Op.

52, a yearly Handel’s Messiah, the St. Matthew Passion and the St. John Passion of J. S. Bach. Previously, as Music Director of Opera Las Vegas he conducted complete staged performances of Puccini’s La Bohème, Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore, Mollicone’s The Face on the Barroom Floor, a Puccini 150th Retrospective and accompanied numerous aria recitals. While in Nevada he was also the founder and conductor of the Las Vegas Peoples Valley Chorus in Requiems by Faure, Rutter, and Brahms, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Mozart’s Coronation Mass and Vespers, Rossini’s Stabat Mater, Vivaldi Juditha Triumphans, Handel’s Judas Maccabeus and Messiah and various Bach Cantatas. As Assistant Conductor at the Prague BalletTheater he prepared the world premiere choreographed version of Smetana’s Ma Vlast. As Assistant Conductor of the Elgin Symphony he conducted Young People’s and Holiday Concerts and performed with Victor Borge; he was alsoMusic Director of the Valley Civic Orchestra and conducted the Elgin Area Youth Orchestras. A composer of over 100 works, Rachelski is published with World Library and M Gerard Publications. He was commissioned for a setting of Psalm 145 for the 1989 Papal Mass in Detroit and for a Magnificat by the Lira Singers for their 25 th Anniversary. With RA Editions, he released a series of technical studies for double bass and cello and is completing editions for violin and viola. In addition to awards from the Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society, he was presented with the Pulaski Award for his contributions to Polish American Culture. As the first Director of Recordings for World Library Publications, he recorded with members of the Lyric Opera and Chicago Symphony Choruses. As Music Editor for J. S. Paluch Company, he was a featured presenter of new music and editor/contributor of three hymnals and a five-volume series of psalm settings for the liturgical year. Rachelski holds degrees fromNorthwestern University, Wayne State University, and the Academy of Music in Prague HAMU. He has studied conducting with Jiri Belohlavek, Frantisek Vajnar, Kenneth Keisler, Robert Harris, Dennis Tini, and Joseph Labuta, and in masterclass with Jo-Michael Scheibe, Mark Gibson, John Nelson, Gustave Meier, Jorge Mester, Daniel Lewis, Leonard Slatkin and Lorin Maazel.

CBA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA AND CHORUS 13