Berea College Concert Choir and Chamber Singers perform fall concert Nov. 6 & 7

11/29/10

The Berea College Concert Choir and Chamber Singers, conducted by Dr. Stephen Bolster, professor of music, will present two performances of their annual fall concert. The program is scheduled at Gray Auditorium, located in Presser Music Building at Berea College, on Saturday Nov. 6 at 8 p.m. and Sunday Nov. 7 at 3 p.m. The concert is free and open to the public.

The first half of the program consists of pieces of sacred music from around the world, beginning with two Kyrie settings. The first is by Italian Gabrielli and the second by Lithuanian Miskinis. Then two parallel settings of O sacrum convivium a Communion anthem follows. The first piece is by Italian Pergolesi and the other again from Miskinis. A Hungarian sacred folk song Esti Dal, set by Zoltan Kodaly is before two anthems by John Rutter. Be Thou My Vision is performed by the Chamber singer and The Lord is my Light and my Salvation accompanied by Ryan Shirar with the piano and Brittany Smith on the clarinet.

The second half of the program features American music. First the Chamber Singers celebrate the 100th anniversary of arranger Roy Ringwald’s birth. They begin with, Long Ago and Far Away by Gershwin and Kern and In the Still of the Night by Cole Porter, both arranged by Ringwald. Cara Gabbard will be playing the flute, Brittany Smith the clarinet, Ryan Shirar and Erik King both on the piano for In the Still of the Night. The Concert Choir follows with two settings of the poetry of E.E. Cummings, I Carry Your Heart With Me, and I Thank You God (For Most This Amazing Day), set by composers David Dickau and Eric Whitacre. The choir will continue with two African-American spirituals arranged by Moses Hogan—I’m Gonna Sing ‘Till the Spirit Moves in my Heart and My Soul’s Been Anchored in the Lord.

The concert ends with three music theatre classics by lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II, in honor of the 100th anniversary of his birth: It’s a Grand Night for Singing (from State Fair), Hello, Young Lovers (from The King and I), specifically by the Chamber singers, and a medley featuring several hits from Oklahoma!