Choral foundation concert to take audience on musical journey
Louisiana Choral Foundation members rehearse for their upcoming performances at University United Methodist in Lake Charles, La., Monday, April 23, 2018. (Rick Hickman/Lake Charles American Press)
The Louisiana Choral Foundation will present “Songs of Hope and Peace,” its 2018 spring concert, at 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 4, and 3 p.m. Sunday, May 6, in First United Methodist Church.
The choir will present “My Song in the Night: A Collection of Five American Folk Hymns” by Mack Wilberg; “The Beatitudes” by Patrick Hawes; and selections from “The Musical World of Walt Disney,” arranged by Mac Huff.
Daryl Jones, choral foundation artistic director, said the selections were arranged by some of the premier composers of modern music and that the pieces will take audience members on a musical journey.
The selection of folk hymns will introduce some previously unknown songs and will also put a “new twist on familiar melodies,” he said.
At University United Methodist in Lake Charles, La., Monday, April 23, 2018. (Rick Hickman/Lake Charles American Press)
The “majestic and uplifting” tunes will evoke nostalgia as they transport listeners to another time and place, Jones said.
“The Beatitudes” is a “very involved work” that requires a shift in musical tone matching the mood of each verse of Scripture, he said.
The arrangement will move from comforting to solemn and thought-provoking as the choir displays the drama of the Beatitudes, Jones said.
The group worked hard to learn the harmony voicings of the selection, written by Hawes, a British composer, he said. It can be “a real challenge for American singers,” Jones said.
The concert will conclude on a “light and carefree” note with old and new songs from Walt Disney movies. Songs from “Beauty and the Beast,” “Mary Poppins,” “My Fair Lady” and a “smorgasbord” of Disney hits will be showcased at the show’s end.
Chorale members include both professionals and hobbyists, and Jones commended the group saying, “There is something really special to be heard in this concert.”
Tickets are $15 and are available at the door or in advance at Swicegood Music. Children and students with ID will be admitted for free.