The AU Chorus and Symphony Orchestra will perform together at the Greenberg Theater Saturday.
"This is the first performance that has incorporated such a meshing of both the orchestra and chorus," said Gene Fielden, a sophomore who has played the viola in the orchestra since his freshman year.
Playing in the new Harold and Sylvia Greenberg Theater will also make the performance special, adding a more professional atmosphere since it is "more spacious and acoustically adjusted for a musical performance," said Julia Bliz, a junior who has sung in the chorus since her freshman year.
The program includes Haydn's "Te Deum," Debussy's "Prelude to L'Apr?s-midi d'Un Faune," Vaughan Williams' "Five Musical Songs" and Bernstein's "Chichester Psalms." The overall theme of this year's performance is based upon elements of spirituality, ethics and morality. Bernstein's "Chichester Psalms," Judeo-Christian psalms from Chichester, England, speak of the music in the first movement, anger and peace in the second, and a reconciliation of these in the last movement.
"The group worked harder overall this semester in terms of learning a broader language of pieces for its 85-member chorus and 50-member orchestra," said Daniel Abraham, director of Music and Choral Activities. "This year's performance is more dynamic and the pieces are much more challenging."
Anne Ganster, a senior in the chorus, says this performance stands out because "we have two really good soloists." One is the 10-year-old son of music faculty member Barbara Hollinshead.
According to Abraham, the other soloist, baritone Dennis Blackwell of New York, "is the perfect voice of lyric, sweetness and richness" for the colorful piece of Vaughan Williams' "Five Musical Songs."
A. Scott Wood, conductor in residence from Fairfax County, leads the orchestra this semester while it searches for a tenure conductor. Debussy's "Prelude," a colorful and impressionistic all-orchestral piece, exemplifies the orchestra's musical ability.
The Nov. 22 performance will begin with a pre-concert discussion with Wood, Abraham and Rabbi Kenneth Cohen, who will discuss the significance of the "Chichester Psalms."
The concert opens Saturday, Nov. 22 at 7 p.m. and continues on Sunday, Nov. 23 at 3 p.m. in the Harold and Sylvia Greenberg Theater. The theater is located at 4200 Wisconsin Ave. Tickets for seniors and the AU community cost $8, general admission tickets cost $15 and can be purchased online at american.tix.com or in person at the theater's box office.
For more information visit www.american.edu/perf_arts.
