Friday, Oct. 4–Sunday, Oct. 6
The 30th anniversary season of the Virginia Chorale opens with Signature Chorale, a celebration of choral masterpieces, folk songs, and motets. Featuring pieces representative of the three decades of group’s repertoire, Signature Chorale represents the breadth of skill and artistic character of the professional ensemble of 21 singers. Compositions by composers such as Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, William Byrd, Eric Whitacre, and Donald McCullough, who founded the chorale organization in 1983, will be performed under the direction of Artistic Director Charles Woodward.
The program includes a variety of compositional styles in numerous languages. The Spanish carol, Riu, Riu, Chiu by Mateo Flecha el Viejo, will open the concert; it was also the first piece performed by the group 30 years ago. William Byrd’s Haec Dies and Hans Leo Hassler’s Cantate Domino will represent the Renaissance period of music and the earliest years from the Virginia Chorale’s repertoire. Also in the program, the singers will perform the Israeli folk songs Hava Nageela arranged by Maurice Goldman and Lo Yisa Goy arranged by Stacy Garrop.
The second half of the program will highlight 20th Century American composers. Included in this portion of the concert will be Donald McCullough’s When in the Presence of Music, Walk Together, Children by beloved composer Moses Hogan, Jerome Kern’s All the Things You Are arranged by Stephen Kolb, and Carol Barnett’s arrangement of the American folk song, Cindy.
In addition to some of the most notable pieces from the Chorale’s catalogue of songs, they will present two extended works for the first time. Take Him, Earth, for Cherishing was composed by British composer, Herbert Howells in 1963, in memory of President John F. Kennedy. This choral masterwork will be sung to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Kennedy’s death. Eric Whitacre’s The City and the Sea, a setting of poems by E. E. Cummings, will be performed by the Chorale and guest pianist Stephen Coxe.
In celebration of their 30th anniversary, the Chorale will present a series of five concerts during the 2013-2014 season in intimate, acoustically ideal venues across Hampton Roads.
Tickets for the Signature Chorale concert are $25 for adults and $10 for students. Season subscriptions and group tickets are also available for up to 20% off the individual ticket price. For further information about this concert or the rest of the Chorale season, visit www.vachorale.org or call 757-627.-8375.
Friday, Oct. 4, 8pm
Williamsburg Presbyterian Church
215 Richmond Road, Williamsburg.
Saturday, Oct. 5, 8pm
First Presbyterian Church
300 36th Street, Virginia Beach
Sunday, Oct. 6, 4pm
Royster Memorial Presbyterian Church
6901 Newport Avenue, Norfolk