This preview has been provided by the Hickory Choral Society.
The Hickory Choral Society presents its annual Fall Concert on Sunday, October 19, 2014 at 3:00 PM, First Baptist Church, 339 2nd Avenue NW in Hickory, NC.
This Fall Concert is somewhat of a departure for singers and audience. As with previous concerts, the opening first half of our program consists of a broad variety of short musical selections. The repertoire includes inspiring works from texts by several well known poets of the past. Also, there are folk songs, ballads, spirituals and a lullaby by the well known Eric Whitacre. A special treat for the audience is a new selection by Norwegian composer Ola Gjeilo, Evening Prayer. What makes this so unique is that it is written for chorus, piano and tenor saxophone. John Alexander, saxophonist joins the ensemble for this haunting use of a seldom combination of accompaniments for chorus.
The second half brings a totally new venue as we explore the wonderful music of Gilbert and Sullivan, creators of such well known operettas as the Mikado, Pirates of Penzance, HMS Pinafore, Gondoliers and the Yeoman of the Guard. This is an opportunity to delve into wit and creativity with a parody of the British lifestyle. Gilbert and Sullivan give the audience a chance to experience somehow the most humorous aspects of the late eighteen hundreds and the British. Join with the Queen, who will be in attendance, in enjoying some of the most often performed choruses and solos from these delightful works. Characters will entertain you throughout the performance.
Since the spring of 1978, the Hickory Choral Society has continued to delight audiences with excellent choral music literature. Each year, the Hickory Choral Society provides local music lovers with a series of exciting and well-attended concerts. The all-volunteer group, made up of 110 singers from Catawba and surrounding counties, is well known throughout North Carolina for its annual Christmas Concerts at Corinth Reformed Church in Hickory. They have also been noted for numerous concerts, including performances with the North Carolina Symphony; a concert at Lincoln Center in New York; and a trip that included concerts in Portsmouth and London, England and Edinburgh, Scotland. The 2003 Christmas Concert was broadcast live statewide over UNC-TV and has continued to be rebroadcast. In May 2010 the Hickory Choral Society was honored to be part of the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC. In January 2013 they were pleased to be included in the Carnegie Hall, NYC performance of A Great and Glorious Victory, by British composer/conductor Jonathon Willcocks. They returned to Carnegie Hall in January 2014 for the world premiere of a work they had commissioned in honor of their 35th Anniversary, Requiem for the Living by Dan Forrest – a noted composer, pianist, and music editor.
The Fall Concert is free and open to the public. For membership and other information, call the Hickory Choral Society office at 828-322-2210. A special invitation is extended to the public to attend the Spring Concert – a tradition with audiences in the Catawba Valley. This concert offers something for everyone. The Hickory Choral Society is a funded affiliate of the United Arts Council of Catawba County.
