Converse Chorale and Chamber Singers to Perform March 8
Many would agree that one of the most beautiful sounds in the world is the pure and lovely combination of women’s voices in harmony. The Converse Chorale and the Chamber Singers will demonstrate this truth with a performance in Daniel Recital Hall on the evening of Monday, March 8th, at 7:30 pm. The Converse Chorale is the Petrie School of Music’s highly acclaimed women’s choir, directed by Dr. Keith Jones, which showcases the richness of a larger, truly talented group of women singing together. In the same evening the Chamber Singers, made up of only seven voices and directed by Dr. Susan Lyle, will showcase the intricacy of harmony and the strength of each individual voice. This admission-free concert is open to the public.
Both the Converse Chorale and the Chamber Singers will be performing five pieces, and both directors have chosen repertoire based on beauty and likeability. Because there is no theme, the program is eclectic and diverse. The Converse Chorale will be singing three pieces accompanied by student Rachel Daugherty, and two a cappella pieces. The first two songs are early pieces: Cantate Domino by Schutz, and “Angels, ever bright and fair,” from Theodora by Handel. These will be followed by Eleanor Daley’s “The Gate of the Year,” featuring soprano soloist Daphne Mamoulides, and “Fair and True” by James Quitman Mulholland. The final piece is a superb arrangement of the traditional song “Ain’t No Grave Can Hold My Body Down.”
The first two pieces to be sung by the Chamber Singers are also early, dating back to Renaissance Latin church music: “In pace in idipsum” by Orlando di Lasso, and the first movement from the Stabat Mater by Pergolesi accompanied by pianist Irina Peace. The third piece is a unique Judeo-Spanish Folk Song called “Los Bilbilicos” (The Nightingales) arranged by Paula Foley Tillen and accompanied by Irina Peace and clarinetist Katelyn Ridenour. This will be followed by a hymn arranged by William Averitt entitled “You May Tell Them, Father,” and finally a delightful upbeat song called “Katalinka” (Ladybird) by Zoltan Kodaly.