PULLMAN, Wash. — Washington State University will present an April 22 choral concert, featuring the WSU University Singers, Madrigal Singers and Concert Choir, at 8:00 pm in Bryan Hall Auditorium. The concert is free and open to the public.
This final choral concert of the academic school year will open with the Madrigal Singers, under the direction of Lori Wiest, WSU faculty member, performing a set of Renaissance madrigals about springtime and the month of May. They include “Now is the Month of Maying” by Thomas Morley, “This Sweet and Merry Month” by William Byrd and “A Little Pretty Bonny Lass” by John Farmer.
The set will be followed by three selections with texts from the “Song of Solomon,” including “Set Me As A Seal” by Ren Clausen, “I Sat Down Under His Shadow” by Edward C. Bairstow and “Rise Up, My Love, My Fair One” by Healey Willan.
The WSU Madrigal Singers will release a new CD this fall with the aforementioned selections as well as “Chinese Folksongs” by Chen Yi, “Elizabethan Songs” by Ralph Vaughan Williams and various madrigals from the Renaissance period. The student director of Madrigal Singers is Heather Zosel, a graduate student in choral conducting.
University Singers will present “Songs of Hope.” Their selections will include “May It Be” from the movie “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” conducted by music education student Tony Rosetti. Other selections include “Abide With Me,” a Hebrew rendition of “Al Shlosha D’Varim” and “Freedom,” from the Broadway hit “Riverdance.”
WSU voice professor Sheila K. Converse will sing an extended contralto solo. A number of students will also perform solos, including Sum Tei Chan, Sarah Clark, Mike Divelbiss, Daniel Francik, Josh LaMunyon, Jen MacLennan, Dionne McRae and Zach Spotts. Kelly Cornwall will accompany University Singers on piano. John Weiss is director of University Singers.
The Concert Choir, conducted by Wiest, will perform “Alleluia” from Jean Berger’s “Brazilian Psalm,” three madrigali from Morten Lauridsen’s “Firesongs” on Italian Renaissance poems and two folksongs from “Ingrian Evenings” from the set of “Forgotten Peoples.”
Featured soloist is senior voice major Katherine Jansen. The “Firesongs” by Lauridsen are all connected compositionally by a “firechord,” which appears in some form in each of the pieces. They are also connected by the sentiments of the Renaissance poetry, as all speak of the flames or fire of love and passion.
The student director of Concert Choir is Lucas Anderson, a first-year graduate student in choral conducting. Accompanist is piano major Mary Doornink.
