CELEBRATION: TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY CONCERT
I Cantori, Savannah’s premier chamber choir, will celebrate its 20th anniversary on June 12th with a concert at St John’s Episcopal Church, Bull Street at Madison Square. The concert will begin at 3:00 pm.
Williametta Spencer will be one of the featured composers with her lovely setting of “And the White Rose Is a Dove.” Selections by James Mulholland will include “A Dawn Song” and “Down by the Salley Gardens.” Czech Republic composer, Zdenek Lukas, has been a favorite of the choir since the early 1990’s when he composed several pieces for I Cantori. On the program will be several selections from his well-loved “Requiem.”
Included on the program is the premier of a new piece by Jean Belmont Ford entitled “The Last Laugh.” I Cantori is having a lot of fun learning Belmont Ford’s clever setting of the William Shakespeare words from “As You Like It.” “…with a hey, and a ho, and a hey non-i-no…” The music even includes “stage directions,” so be prepared for a great laugh! This piece compliments her included “Farewell Overture!” …another great laugh!
A Festival of Organ and Voice
IN CELEBRATION OF I CANTORI’S 20TH ANNIVERSARY YEAR
I Cantori, Savannah’s premier professional chamber choir, will present the second of its 20th season concerts on March 6th at St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Bull St. and 31st St, Savannah, and March 7th at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church on Skidaway Island. Both concerts will start at 7:30 PM. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students. They may be obtained at the door, from any chorus member or by calling 925-7866.
Music in this concert was especially written to celebrate a special occasion. Opening the concert will be Benjamin Britten’s exciting FESTIVAL TE DEUM which was composed to celebrate the 1944 centenary of St. Mark’s Church in Swindon, England. This work will be sung in English and is especially intriguing rhythmically with steady musical tension on the organ representing the staidness of the church itself while the chorus widely enjoys varying tempi. Organ accompanist will be Edie Hockspeier, Director of Music and Associate in Ministry at Lutheran Church of the Ascension.
Antonin Dvorak’s MASS IN D MAJOR for orchestra was written as a celebratory piece also. It was composed for the consecration of a new chapel at the Romanian Chateau Luzany. I Cantori will perform this work in the manner in which it was written. It was sung by a small mixed chamber choir, four solo voices and organ. Dr. Timothy McKee, Music Minister of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, will be featured organist in this work.
CHICHESTER PSALMS, written by American composer Leonard Bernstein for the 1965 Southern Cathedrals’ Festival at Chichester Cathedral in England, will complete the program. The premier for this work, however, was in New York City to an enthralled audience. It is sung in Hebrew, uses material from the Psalms and is mostly serene and affirmative. An exciting reduced orchestral accompaniment by Leonard Bernstein will accompany the chorus, highlighted by the prominence of harpist Patricia Anderson, percussionist Steven Primatic and organist Edie Hockspeier. I Cantori men have been thoroughly challenged by the rhythms of Movement II’s currently appropriate words of Psalm 2, …“why do the nations rage…?”
Dr. Robert Harris has expressed that he was looking for pieces to which the audience could relate and which would be appropriate for a celebratory atmosphere. Harris said that, “there is a spontaneous joy to each of these pieces that will be expressed not only in voices, but through the music making of outstanding professional instrumentalists with whom we do not regularly work.”
I Cantori Presents 20th Anniversary Christmas Concert
Friday, December 3, 2010 – 7:30 pm
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
1820 Abercorn
Monday, December 6, 2010 – 7:30 pm
St. Peter’s Episcopal Church
Skidaway Island
I Cantori, Savannah’s Professional Chamber Choir of twenty-four auditioned singers, will perform its 20th Anniversary Christmas Concerts on Friday, December 3rd at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church at 1820 Abercorn St., and on Monday, December 6th at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church on Skidaway Island. Both concerts will start at 7:30 PM.
I Cantori (“The Singers” as known in Italian) was founded in 1991 by its present conductor, Dr. Robert L. Harris. Currently Dr. Harris is also Director of Choral Studies at Armstrong Atlantic State University and Director of Music for St. Paul’s Greek Orthodox Church on Bull Street.
Included in this 20th Anniversary Concert will be new and delightful settings of many familiar carols and Christmas hymns from around the world. America, England, Sweden, Spain and even Syria will be represented. Familiar titles are “Carol of the Birds” arranged by Alice Parker, “How Far Is It To Bethlehem?” arranged by Paul McCullough and a very challenging arrangement of “Jingle Bells” created by William Llewellyn.
Classical music selections range from the 16th to the 21st century. Composers Praetorius, Mendelssohn, Biebl, Pekiel and Sweelink are represented. Two special settings of “Ave Maria” are especially poignant and illustrate how two different composers beautifully treat the same lyrics.
The concert will also feature the Christmas song, “Shepherds Loud Their Praises Singing,” written by Savannah composer, J. Harry Persse.
Choir members who have been with I Cantori since 1991 enjoyed fond memories of performing the complete production of Gian-Carlo Menotti’s “Amahl and the Night Visitors” in 1999 as the choir rehearsed selections from the opera in preparation for this concert.
Tickets will be available at the door or by calling (912) 925-7866. They are $15 for adults and $10 for students.
