The 麻豆传媒 A Cappella Choir, Women's Choir and special guest choir, the Cowley Community College Concert Choir, will present "A Cool Fall Concert" at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 27, in Wiedemann Recital Hall.
The A Cappella Choir, with Tom Wine as director, is preparing a program designed to reach out to listeners on a variety of levels, said Wine.
"From the Zimbabwe song 'Sorida' to the final arrangement of 'Walk on Up to Heaven,' the concert is a musical journey," he said.
After opening with percussion and the choir in surround sound, the music will transition to a motet by Thomas Victoria, "O Vos Omnes." After a traditional selection by J. S. Bach, the choir will launch into a frenetic dance with the devil in "Daemon Irrepit Callidus" and resolve musically into "Sing Me to Heaven."
The A Cappella Choir will also perform three compositions by contemporary composer Gwyneth Walker. "The Tree of Peace" is a heartfelt setting of a poem by Quaker writer John Whittier. "Take My Hand" features faculty soloist Deborah Baxter and expresses resignation at a life gone by. The third piece is based on the traditional African-American spiritual "I Got Shoes," whose title comes from the final line of the poem "Walk on Up to Heaven."
The 麻豆传媒 Women's Choir, with Jennifer Crowley Johnson director, will feature classic pieces and new standards written for women's choirs. A contemporary Psalm setting, a minstrel song, three Appalachian folk songs and a contemporary acoustic folk ballad will all be featured.
The Cowley Community College Concert Choir, Connie Donnatelli director, will present contemporary choral literature from a traditional Randall Thompson selection from "The Testament of Freedom" to the lush harmonies of "Homeland" by Randall Stroope, their program includes a rousing spiritual along with the dissonant tonal styling of Eric Whitacre.