PULLMAN, Wash. – Music from the Renaissance, jazz, opera and sacred songs will be presented by the Washington State University vocal/choral program at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 11, in Bryan Hall Theatre as part of Dad’s Weekend.
Tickets will be available 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, Nov. 9 and 10, in the lobby of Kimbrough Music Building and on the night of the performance beginning at 6 p.m. in Bryan Hall.
Prices are $10 for adults, $5 for senior citizens and students with ID, and free for children 12 and under. Cash and checks are accepted. Proceeds go to the student ensembles for music, performances/productions and tours.
Opening the 26th annual Vocal Extravaganza will be the WSU Madrigal/Chamber Singers (watch a video here) performing Renaissance and contemporary selections of Spanish and English compositions: “Espiritu de Dios” and “Yemaya Asesu” arranged by Brian Tate, “De los Alamos vengo” by 16th century composer Juan Vasquez, “Drop, drop, slow tears” by David Ashley White, and “Have I Found Her?” by English Renaissance composer Francis Pilkington.
The 18 member ensemble includes singers from various majors and is conducted by Lori Wiest.
The WSU University Singers, conducted by Dean Luethi, will begin with two selections: “He Watching Over Israel” and “And Then Shall Your Light Break Forth” from Mendelssohn’s oratorio “Elijah.” The singers will close with Roy Ringwald’s arrangement of “Precious Lord” and Moses Hogan’s arrangement of the spiritual “I’m Gonna Sing ‘Till the Spirit Moves In My Heart.”
WSU’s Concert Choir, conducted by Wiest, will open with the epic work “The Stars Stand Up in the Air” by Minnesota composer Eric Barnum, a doctoral conducting student at University of Washington. The lush music and haunting poem leads the listener through a multitude of emotions that contemplate whether knowing a beautiful love, now lost, is worth the pain.
Claude Debussy’s “Beau Soir,” originally composed for solo voice, is appropriately set for choir and pianist as the singer explores the beautiful night and the experience of appreciating every moment in life while you can. Concluding the performance will be “Laughing Song” by David Dickau, set to the famous Blake poem and featuring flutist Christine Rushton.
All three selections will be accompanied by graduate piano student Merrill Merchant.
WSU Opera Workshop will perform scenes from the great operas “La Cenerentola,” the story of Cinderella, by Gioacchino Rossini, and “Falstaff,” based on Shakespeare’s character of the same name, by Giuseppe Verdi.
The cast of 18 is directed by Julie Anne Wieck, associate professor of music, and accompanied on the piano by Karen Savage, assistant professor of music.
The full opera program will be presented at 8 p.m. Thursday, on Nov. 17, in Bryan Hall Theatre.
The evening’s concert will close with VoJazz, directed by Luethi, performing an eclectic mix of music for small vocal jazz ensemble. The set will open with the traditional Irish air and reel “Dobbin’s Flowery Vale” and the Kaempfert/Gabler favorite “L-O-V-E,” popularized by Nat King Cole.
VoJazz will conclude its performance with the New York Voices arrangement of “Open Invitation” and Randy Crenshaw’s arrangement of the Toto tune “Africa.”
Media contact:
Lori Wiest, 509-335-5647, lwiest@wsu.edu
Sandra Albers, 509-335-4148, sandra_albers@wsu.edu
Lori Wiest, 509-335-5647, lwiest@wsu.edu
Sandra Albers, 509-335-4148, sandra_albers@wsu.edu