The combined voices of the Lucia Singers, an 80-voice women’s chorus under the direction of Conductor Brandon Dean, and the Gustavus Choir, a 64-voice mixed ensemble led by Conductor Gregory, will combine for their final concert of the year on Sunday, May 4, beginning at 3:30 p.m. in Christ Chapel on the Gustavus campus. This performance is presented by the Department of Music and is free and open to the public.
Alternating performances throughout the concert, the two ensembles will present a program which includes works stretching across 3 centuries from Rossini to Egil Hovland and Gwyneth Walker. Accompanied by pianist Bonnie Jorgensen, Dr. Dean will open with the Lucia Singers in performances of “Ave maris stella” from Marianische Hymnen by Josef Rheinberger and “Tota pulchra” from the Quatre motets sure thémes Grégoriens by Maurice Druflé. The Singers will be joined by percussionists Aaron Bogen and Daniel Felton in their presentation of the Silesian Folk Song “Eatnemen vuelie” by Frode Fjellheim. Violinist Hannah Walters will assist with the performance of the Misuzu McManus arrangement of “Takeda no Komoriuta” from Three Japanese Folksongs. Lucia will continue with “Everything She Touches” by Joan Szymko and “This is the Day” by Gerald T. Smith.
The Gustavus Choir will open their performance accompanied by Karl Grant first on piano and then on organ for two works by Egil Hovland, “Stay With Us” and “Saul.” They will continue with Fauré’s “Cantique de Jen Racine,” the “O sacrum convivuim!” by Olivier Messiaen, “Va, pensireo” from Giuseppe Verdi’s Nabucco and “Il Gondolieri” from Sins of My Old Age by Gioacchino Rossini.
For the final set of the program, the women from the Gustavus Choir will join the Lucia Singers to perform “Crossing the Bar” by Gwyneth Walker, before the men of the Choir come to the stage and the two ensembles will close the program with Keith Hampton’s “Praise His Holy Name!”
Sunday’s spring concert featuring the Lucia Singers and Conductor Brandon Dean and the Gustavus Choir with Conductor Gregory Aune will begin at 3:30 p.m. in Christ Chapel. The performance is open to the public. Attendance is free.
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