Sounds of a Sacred Land The Music of Paul Mealor
presented by
The St. David’s Welsh Society
Of Greater Kansas City
performed by
The Te Deum Chamber Choir
Matthew Christopher Shepard, Director
In April of 2011, the world’s attention was
held by a romantic moment that touched all in
a joyful and hopeful way – the royal wedding
of Prince William and Lady Katherine
Middleton. The grandeur and spirit of that
event was punctuated by the musical score
crafted by a young Welsh composer named
Paul Mealor. His music continues to highlight
the world and this special royal family in a
classical, sacred and modern manner.
Described in the New York Times as, ‘one of
the most important composers to have
emerged in Welsh choral music…, Paul
Mealor’s music has rapidly entered the
repertoire of choirs and singers around the
world. His music has been described as
having, ‘serene beauty, fastidious
craftsmanship... music of deep spiritual
searching that always asks questions,
offers answers and fills the listener with
hope…’ Mealor was catapulted to
international attention when 2.5 billion
people heard his Ubi caritas performed
at the Royal Wedding Ceremony of His
Royal Highness Prince William and
Catherine Middleton. Born in St Asaph,
North Wales, Paul Mealor studied
composition privately from an early age,
at the University of York and in
Copenhagen. He has taught at the
University of Aberdeen, and has held
visiting professorships in Europe and
the United States. His pieces have
been performed, broadcasted and
recorded in the UK, USA, and other
countries. Available recorded albums of
his music include Tender Light (2011),
Wherever You Are (2011), and I Saw
Eternity (2014).
SDWS is teaming up with the Te Deum
Chamber Choir to present a concert of Paul
Mealor’s music. Under the direction of
Matthew Shepard, Te Deum will perform
some of Mealor’s pieces as a way to tell the
story of “The Sounds of a Sacred Land”.
While the story will acquaint the audience with
both the spirit of Wales and the Welsh
heritage, it combines with the interpretation of
that story in Mealor’s music. In this way we
hope we can increase the audience’s, and
thereby the community’s, awareness of the
Welsh presence in our communities through
one of its most meaningful and powerful
features – choral singing.
When our script was shared with Prof.
Mealor, he said of our anticipated event,
“How wonderful! This is a truly rich and
deeply spiritual concert! It is perfect...All very
best and kindest wishes, Paul.”
create a musically inspiring, and
spiritually stirring experience. Members
of the ensemble include classically
trained singers adding depth to Te
Deum’s quality.
Shepard, a Kansas City native, holds
two Master’s Degrees from the
University of Missouri – Kansas City
Conservatory of Music and completed a
fellowship at the Conductors Institute at
the Bard Conservatory in New York. He
is Music Director of the AtchisonBenedictine College Orchestra and
Associate Director of Music at Village
Presbyterian Church.
Te Deum, now in its seventh season, was
formed as a high caliber ensemble to perform
sacred choral music from across the ages.
Under the direction of Mathew Christopher More details about Te Deum and
Shepard, the Choir delivers concerts twice samples of its performances may be
each year that are highly anticipated events in found at http://www.te-deum.org.
the cultural and spiritual life of our community.
The mission of the Te Deum Chamber Choir
is to perform a diverse sacred choral
repertoire in a uniquely relevant context, to
Admission to the concert
is 10 dollars per person.
Advanced tickets are available on line at
www.brownpapertickets.com.