May 13 Berea College Choir spring concert is fundraiser for summer China Tour

The choir members are raising many of the funds to make it financially possible for the students to afford the trip.  All together, the fundraising goal for the trip is $120,000.  At present, the choir still has about $14,000 to raise.

Admission to the Mother’s Day concert is free.   Members of the extended Berea Community who would like to help support the cost of the China trip are encouraged to make a tax-deductible donation in conjunction with the concert at the following levels:  Benefactor-$100; Patron–$50; Sponsor–$25; and Supporter–$5-$10.   All those who purchase tickets by Friday, May 11, will have their names printed in a special concert program insert.  Donations may be mailed to Stephen Bolster, CPO 2914, Berea College or given directly to Concert Choir members through May 11 at a special table in the Alumni Building Lobby 11 a.m.- 1:00 p.m.

The first half of the concert will consist of the music of Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) in celebration of the 125th Anniversary of his birth, featuring his Symphony of Psalms and three short liturgical pieces.   The Concert Choir recently performed the Psalms with the combined choirs of Asbury and Centre Colleges, and Transylvania University, and orchestra.  The performance will be accompanied by Ryan Shirar, who will play the orchestral reduction at the piano.

The second half of the program will consist mainly of American choral music that the choir will perform in China, including works by Knut Nystedt, Lloyd Pfautsch, Eric Whitacre, Morten Lauridson, James Mulholland, Stephen Foster, and George Gerschwin.  The Chamber Singers will premiere a composition by local composer Earlene Rentz, written especially for–and dedicated to—the Concert Choir. The text The Presence of the Lord, is by John G. Fee.  The choir will also perform three pieces of Chinese choral music, in Chinese, that they will sing together with Chinese university choirs as part of their upcoming tour.