Defiance College choirs to perform sacred gems
April 20, 2018
DEFIANCE, Ohio - On Friday, April 27, at 7:00 p.m., combined choirs will perform choral masterworks with young vocal artists, chamber orchestra, and brass choir accompaniments at St. John United Church of Christ, 950 Webster St, on the campus of Defiance College. Choirs give a repeat performance on Sunday, April 29, at 4 p.m., at Bryan City Schools Arts and Education Auditorium, 120 South Beech St, Bryan.
Last spring, the Chamber Singers accepted an invitation to perform with a festival chorus at the world-famous concert venue, Carnegie Hall, in New York City. The Chamber Singers and select members of the Choral Union will travel to New York State for a brief choir tour and the special Carnegie Hall appearance in June. This performance represents a historical first for the city of Defiance and Defiance College.
The festival choir performs sacred choral masterworks from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Schubert, and Dan Forrest. Mozart’s Te Deum, K 141, is a celebratory choral work. When he composed this setting in 1769, Mozart was 13 years old. Young Mozart captures an energetic youthful bliss. Though this is an early work, it is considered a choral masterpiece, and it is still programmed almost 250 years later.
Schubert wrote his Mass in C Major, D 452, in 1816, and continued revising it until his death in 1828. This exciting work is the only mass of his seven published in his lifetime. The group will perform with young vocal artists, chamber strings, winds, and brass.
Dan Forrest’s Arise, Shine is based on a biblical text from Isaiah, and Forrest loosely sets three additional texts from Matthew, John, and Revelations. This anthem features a brass choir accompaniment.
The Carnegie Hall experience combines professional-level performers, a world-class concert venue, and great programming in a city with a rich cultural history. The goal for DC Chamber Singers is to enrich lives, broaden perspectives, perform with professional musicians, and provide a meaningful aesthetic experience. In addition, students and community members will complete a service project, distributing care kits to the homeless. Care kits will include water, food items, hygiene products, and supplies. The choirs plan to distribute these care kits as they travel in New York City, Rochester, Buffalo, and Corning.
How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice. In order to prepare for this exciting event, the Chamber Singers and Choral Union perform these choral masterworks April 27, at 7 p.m. at St. John UCC and on Sunday, April 29, at 4 p.m., at the Bryan Arts and Education Auditorium.
Admission to these concerts is free, and donations are welcomed. For more information, contact Jim Watson, Director of Music Programs, at jwatson@defiance.edu or visit: defiance.edu/music.
Defiance College, chartered in 1850, is an independent, liberal arts-based institution in Northwest Ohio offering more than 40 undergraduate programs of study as well as graduate programs in education and business. Defiance College has received national recognition for its educational experience of service and engagement. The college website is www.defiance.edu.
