"Stories: Where Words End, Music Begins" will be the theme of the first choral concert of the 2016-2017 academic year at Catawba College on Sunday, October 2nd. Beginning at 4:00 p.m. in the acoustic splendor of Catawba's Omwake-Dearborn Chapel, the Catawba Singers, Chamber Singers, and PopAC will present a widely varied program of choral music.
With 80 vocalists drawn from the Catawba student body, the Catawba Singers is the largest of three performing ensembles. They will perform works by Dan Forrest, Moses Hogan and David Dickau. North Carolina composer Gwen McLeod Hall will be represented as the choir sings her unpublished work, "How Did You Live?
The Catawba Chamber Choir will perform three hauntingly beautiful selections. Student conductor and conducting scholarship recipient Robert J. Thornton will lead the choir in Dan Forrest's "Entreat Me Not to Leave Thee." Works by Morten Lauridsen will complete the Chamber Choir’s selections.
PopAC, Catawba College's newest ensemble, will feature a beautiful arrangement of Elvis' "Falling in Love with You." An arrangement of "I Won't Say I'm in Love" from Disney's Hercules, developed by Catawba student Caleb Garner, is certain to be an attention grabber.
Additional choral selections will be offered by the Catawba Women's Ensemble and the Catawba Men's Ensemble.
Interesting to note, the Catawba Men's Ensemble was recently chosen to perform for the North Carolina Choral Directors' Convention in Charlotte. They will perform at UNC Charlotte on Friday, October 7th. From over 200 recorded submissions, Catawba was one of the four choral ensembles selected to perform. This is the second such honor in as many years.
Catawba Choirs are under the direction of Dr. Phillip E. Burgess, Assistant Professor of Music. The accompanists for the afternoon program will be Mr. Jacob Hahn and Mrs. Susan Trivette.
The 75-minute concert is free and open to the public.