The music department at Texas A&M University-Commerce is beginning their Spring series of events with a choir concert featuring the chamber orchestra, select chorale, and bluebonnet chorus combining to form one group.
“We usually begin our spring performances earlier than this, however, due to the amount of rehearsal time required we have moved them back,” Heather White, A&M-Commerce graduate assistant for chorale, said.
The concert will be held at the Wesley United Methodist Church in Greenville at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 31.
The groups will combine to perform Mass No. 2 in G major by Franz Schubert and Let Thy Hand Be Strengthened Coronation Anthem No. 4 by George Frideric Handel.
“The pieces are typically chosen by the conductor, though if there is a big enough demand by students certain pieces will be given consideration,” White said. “These pieces hold great educational value to our music education majors who will eventually go out and conduct them later on.”
The Schubert composition is shorter than most of his other pieces and was originally composed for a chorale to sing with a small chamber orchestra. The Handel piece is much like his other compositions and many people will recognize the similarities between it and Handel’s Messiah.
The Schubert piece is to be conducted by Roger Bryant and Dr. William Witwer will be conducting the Handel piece.
For this performance, there will be over 50 people combined to make up the one group that will sing. Soloists for this performance include Destiny Tolbert, Katy Trela, Sedric Miles, Andrew Benson, Mary Johnston and John Patterson.
The group has been rehearsing for this performance since the beginning of the spring semester.
Generally, the chorale section of the music department will perform two to three times during a semester and they are scheduled to perform on April 17 with the percussion ensemble.
“During this concert, a new piece arranged by one of our fellow professors, Dr. Brian Zator, will be debuted,” White said.
The chorale will also be performing April 30 at the Eisenman Center.