The Lawrence University Concert Choir, Chorale, and Women’s Choir will give their annual world music concert April 17, at 8:00 p.m. in the Memorial Chapel.The concert, entitled “Around The World, Opus 6,” will feature many works in a vast array of musical styles. All three of Lawrence’s choirs will perform.
Featuring a broad spectrum of cultures, the concert will be segmented into three parts, each focusing on a specific part of the world. The first part will feature traditional European music, ranging from early classical to more contemporary works. The second will feature music from the Americas, with a variety of Spanish and English pieces. The third and final segment features music from Eastern Europe and Asia, showcasing odd-metered folk melodies and pentatonic influences.
Mr. Phillip Swan, director of the Women’s Choir, commented on the concert: “The choirs will be focusing on the integration of language and culture into the music. Much of this music is derived from traditional folk songs, so there is an extremely large array of musical styles.”
Swan is especially excited about the song “Spem in Alium,” by Thomas Tallis. “This work was composed in the 17th century, and is written for 40 individual voices,” said Swan. “The Concert Choir, in this piece, is split into eight different choirs with five members each.” The piece, composed between the years of 1603 and 1612, is recognized as one of Tallis’ greatest compositions.
The choirs will also perform the Mussorgsky’s Coronation Scene from “Boris Godunov” and Van Morrison’s “Moon Dance.”
The concert promises to have an incredibly diverse sampling of music from many different places in the world. As always, the choirs will perform this music with maturity and excellence.