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Colorado Springs Chorale
The Colorado Springs Chorale proudly announces the performance of its very
special and unique 50th Anniversary Concert, Choral Gold, at the Pikes Peak
Center, 8:00 P.M., Saturday, March 24, 2007.
During the Choral Gold concert the Colorado Springs Chorale will present choral
favorites from many sources, ranging from classical choral literature and opera,
to Broadway and spirituals, allowing the Chorale to demonstrate the breadth of
its repertoire and the depth of its expertise acquired through 50 years’
glorious singing!
The 140-voice Chorale, with 63-piece orchestra, under the direction of Donald P.
Jenkins, will celebrate its 50th Anniversary by sharing an evening of great
favorites from “a golden literature." It will present the grand, the epic and
surprisingly personal choral masterpieces, from cathedral, the concert and
festival hall, the opera house, Broadway, and home, field, and church in all
their magnificence.
The concert opens with the incomparable, "Hallelujah Chorus," to celebrate the
fact that the Chorale’s first public performance was of Handel’s Messiah
December 9th, 1956. Mozart’s "Ave Verum" and Bach’s, “Jesu, Joy of Man’s
Desiring” complete the section titled “The Cathedral”; while pieces from Haydn’s
The Seasons, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, and “How Lovely is thy Dwelling Place” from
Brahms' Requiem announce “The Concert Hall.” “The Opera” selections include
Verdi’s dramatic “Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves” from Nabucco, and “Triumphal
Scene” from Aida, the “Toreador’s Entrance” from Bizet’s Carmen; and the
“Humming Chorus” from Puccini’s Madama Butterfly. “The Festival Hall” is
represented by Wagner’s traditional ‘Wedding March’, “The Bridal Chorus” from
Lohengrin, and the very familiar “Procession and Chorale” from Die
Meistersinger. The Broadway stage is represented by “Summertime,” “Plenty O’
Nuttin,” and other selections from Gershwin's Porgy and Bess. A moving
African-American
unaccompanied spiritual, “Mary Wore Three Links of Chain” is presented for “Home
and Field.” The production finale is composed of the two brilliant concluding
choruses from Orff’s Carmina Burana, loved by classical music goers and familiar
to almost everyone through their use as background music in countless movies and
commercials.
“With such a vast wealth of music to select from in choosing the most
passionate, thrilling, and satisfying choral works we know, the challenge has
been, not what do we include, but what do we dare leave out. Yet this daunting
task has been a true labor of love and involved more than a year’s impassioned
and animated discussions, resulting, ultimately, in what I promise will be a
grand experience for our audience,” says Chorale Artistic Director and
Conductor, Donald P. Jenkins.
Tickets may be obtained through the Pikes Peak Center Box Office; TicketsWest,
719 520 7469; or any TicketsWest outlet. Prices range from $16 to $45, with
group, and senior, military, student, and children’s two dollar discounts
available. “It Takes Five” student discounts honored.
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