"Khorikos is a breathtaking ensemble, singing with a unique exspressivity in the whole range of the human voice, making even the most complex harmonies sound as consonant, sweet and intense, as a gift of dreams."
-Eivind Gullberg Jensen, Conductor - Music Director NDR Radiophilharmonie Hanover

 

BACKGROUND

KHORIKOS was founded by Mr. Jesse Mark Peckham in December 2005, in order to promote an environment for an a cappella ensemble in which artistic independence, commercial autonomy, and aesthetic excellence are paramount. KHORIKOS enlists musicians from the New York City area, who are professionally and passionately dedicated to cultivating distinctive interpretations of musical works ranging from medieval polyphony to contemporary sound sculpture. The KHORIKOS choir presented its debut in August 2006 at the Shrine Church of St. Anthony in New York, and has since performed over 25 concerts including an appearance in the MOSA 2007 concert series in upper Manhattan, and a performance for the German Consulate at the United Nations building in New York (2007).  KHORIKOS was most recently engaged for a tour of the Czech Republic, and performed as a part of the Svatovaclavsky Hudebni Festival (2008) and in Munich at the Himmelfahrtskirche in Sendling (Sat., October 11, 2008).  On September 23rd, 2009, KHORIKOS performed the New York Premiere of Eric Whitacre's "Nox Aurumque" at St. Anthony's Shrine in SoHo.  The ensemble released its first professional CD - a live concert recording of "Modern Masters" - in the Spring of 2010, which is available on iTunes, Amazon, CD Baby and other digital venues, and was nominated for Best Classical A Cappella Album for the 2011 CASA Music Awards.  During the summer of 2011, KHORIKOS performed at the Kennedy Center, Avery Fisher Hall and the Wang Theater in Boston as a part of the "Songs of Life Festival" and the World Premiere of "A Melancholy Beauty." Collaborators included The National Philharmonic, The Boston Modern Orchestra Project, The Indianapolis Children Choir, Philip Kutev National Folklore Ensemble, Bulgaria and The Victor Valley College Singers and The Master Arts Chorale, CA.

KHORIKOS is a project of Dorian Artists Corp, a 501(c)(3) organization with the mission to promote public appreciation for historical, contemporary and progressive arts. The vision of Dorian Artists Corporation is to promote the preservation, development and dissemination of authentic, aesthetically sensitive interpretations of classical and contemporary music for a diverse audience, and to empower artistic excellence in all fields.

 

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

JESSE MARK PECKHAM (Artistic Director/Conductor/Chairman) has received critical acclaim conducting multiple orchestras in the Czech Republic. Mr. Peckham has emerged as one of the most versatile and accomplished young conductors of his generation.  At the age of 18, Mr. Peckham was invited to conduct the Beethoven Chamber Orchestra in Hradec, and then went on to conduct many of the leading orchestras in the Czech Republic, including the Bohulslav Martinu, Moravian Philharmonic and the Ceska Kormoni Philharmonic.  From January 2001 to October 2004, he also served as the Artistic Director of the Czech World Orchestra.  Mr. Peckham founded KHORIKOS in 2005 and formed Dorian Artists Corporation in 2007.  Over the last five years, he has developed KHORIKOS into one of New York's premiere choral ensembles, which has toured the Czech Republic and Germany, and performed throughout Manhattan and the five boroughs.

BROCK BODDIE (Board Member), is a web professional with over nine years of experience managing projects and people in a variety of working environments: from full site redesigns and the creation of SIRIUS Internet Radio in New York, to internet advocacy and web communications strategy in Central and Western Africa at the United Nations Development Program.  Brock also developed and managed the creation of the Open Society Institute's Commission on Accountability (CoA) website and online strategy, including the development, process management and ongoing measurement and execution of the OSI communications ecosystem.  Brock was formerly a singer with the KHORIKOS ensemble and we are honored to have him join our Board of Directors!

EIVIND GULLBERG JENSEN (Board Member) is Chief conductor of NDR Radiophilharmonie Hannover.  He recently gave his debut with the Berliner Philharmoniker and will also debut with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra this season.  Other engagements include the Wiener Symphoniker, Orchestre de Paris and Orchestre National de France, and the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra.  Recent operatic engagements have included Eivind's debut for English National Opera with Janácek's Jenufa, Il Corsaro in Zurich, Tosca with Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and Fidelio with Mahler Chamber Orchestra - both for the Baden-Baden Festspielhaus.  After studying violin and musical theory in Trondheim, Eivind Gullberg Jensen continued his studies with legendary Professor Jorma Panula in Stockholm, and with Leopold Hager in Vienna. He has participated in the Aspen Music Festival with David Zinman and in master classes with Kurt Masur in Poland and New York.  We are honored to have his expertise and artistry joining our Board of Directors!

SCOTT MICHAEL HEDRICK (Board Member) is an Asset Manager for GPT Real Estate Services, Inc. – An Asset Management entity currently managing the Record Realty (US) Portfolio, which consists of 22 properties throughout the US primarily leased to the GSA (General Services Administration for government).  A University of Nebraska at Lincoln graduate, with many years of experience in property management, business and sales, we are honored to have Scott's business acumen guiding our Board of Directors.

 

PROJECT LEADERSHIP

VANESSA HYLANDE (Chief Executive Officer) was formerly the Executive Director of HarlemLIVE, a non-profit youth journalism program in Harlem.  Ms. Hylande worked for the Council on Foreign Relations as the Coordinator of the Public Health and Bio-Terrorism Task Force, America’s Response to Terrorism Task Force Staff, Research Associate for Visiting Fellows Calvin Sims (New York Times) and Guillermo Christensen (CIA) as well as the Project on Capital Flows to Sub-Saharan Africa.  Formerly, she was an Editorial Assistant for Foreign Affairs Magazine.  Ms. Hylande is a dancer with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet and a singer with the Khorikos ensemble.

CHRISTIAN HOLSLIN (Sound Engineer/IT) brings ten years of professional Information Technology expertise to the table for the Khorikos in tandem with an even longer history of vocal and instrumental performance. Since a very early age, Christian has molded these disciplines together forming an adept comprehension of audio engineering. Christian currently records and produces classical repertoire and original postmodern works in his home studio in Manhattan.