[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 74 (Tuesday, June 3, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1082]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING GALLEN MARSHALL'S OUTSTANDING MUSICAL CAREER AS DIRECTOR AND 
           CONDUCTOR OF THE MASTERWORKS CHORALE AND ORCHESTRA

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 3, 1997

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the outstanding 
musical contributions that Mr. Gallen Marshall has given to our 
community. Mr. Marshall, who is celebrating his 33d and final season as 
music director and conductor of the Masterworks Chorale and Orchestra, 
has devoted his life to sharing with others his love for the creative 
arts. He has inspired a generation of Californians with his passion for 
music and his talent for teaching. He will be sorely missed.
  Gallen Marshall joined the music faculty at the College of San Mateo 
in 1963 and a year later founded the Masterworks Chorale at the 
college. Mr. Marshall's original group consisted of 40 singers. Under 
his leadership, the chorale quadrupled in size and it blossomed 
musically as well. Mr. Marshall's singers performed with a wide range 
of internationally renowned organizations, including the San Francisco 
Symphony, the San Francisco Opera, the San Jose Symphony, the Festival 
of Masses, and the Cabrillo Festival.
  Gallen Marshall challenged his pupils to fully cultivate their 
musical talents, and he helped them to achieve new heights of skill and 
creativity. The chorale performed some of the most demanding works, 
among them ``Flos Campi'' by Vaughan Williams, ``Four Sacred Pieces'' 
by Verdi, Britten's ``War Requiem,'' and Beethoven's ``Missa 
Solemnis.'' Mr. Marshall's singers delighted audiences far and wide, 
from California to Carnegie Hall, where the chorale performed in 1989 
to rave reviews. In praising the chorale, Peter E. Tiboris, the music 
director and principal conductor of the Manhattan Philharmonic, 
exclaimed, ``Without question this was one of the greatest performances 
of Verdi's ``Requiem'' that this hall ever heard. This is a world-class 
organization and your region is fortunate to have such a musical 
organization in its midst.'' The chorale received similarly effusive 
praise in response to concerts around the world, including its seven 
European tours and the chorale's concert series in the People's 
Republic of China.
  For over three decades, Gallen Marshall's chorale has served as one 
of the finest examples of bay area culture, and it has been received by 
the community in a manner worthy of this status. The San Francisco 
Examiner noted that ``choruses abound in the Bay Area, but few, if any, 
are finer than the Masterworks Chorale.'' The San Jose Mercury gushed: 
``The Masterworks Chorale bites off immense challenges and carries them 
off without blinking.'' The outstanding quality of Mr. Marshall's work 
was cited by the Hillbarn Theater, which honored him as the 1992 
recipient of its Bravo! Award for excellence and service to the arts in 
San Mateo County. In describing one notable performance, the San 
Francisco Chronicle paid special tribute to Marshall's leadership: 
``Conductor Marshall's skill, as well as fidelity to the music, added a 
constant plus factor to the evening--a major event of the season. He 
deserved his ovation.'' As Gallen Marshall's congressional 
representative, I could not agree more. He is truly a credit to our 
community.
  Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues to join me in congratulating 
Gallen Marshall for his outstanding musical achievements and to join me 
as well in wishing him great success in his future endeavors.

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