The Hickory Choral Society presents its annual Spring Concert on Sunday, April 6, 2014 at 3:00 PM, First Baptist Church, 339 2nd Avenue NW in Hickory, NC.

This concert will feature two widely acclaimed works by internationally known choral composers of the last two centuries. The Requiem by Gabriel Fauré is written for Chorus, Orchestra, Baritone and Soprano soloists. Joining the Hickory Choral Society for this concert is Soprano Dr. Melinda Lein. A noted soloist of choral, operatic and soloist performance, she completed her doctoral degree at the University of Missouri – Kansas City. She has taught voice at William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri, the University of Missouri – Columbia, and Stetson University in Florida. Currently, Dr. Lein serves as Associate Professor of Music (Voice) at Wingate University.

Also joining the Hickory Choral Society as a guest soloist is Baritone Dr. Kenny Potter. Dr. Potter holds degrees from Florida State University and Portland State University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts in choral conducting from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He is a frequent guest clinician including festivals in Florida, North and South Carolina, Georgia and Kentucky. A number of his compositions have been published by Hinshaw Music, Choristers Guild, and Santa Barbara Music.

The Mass of the Children was composed by John Rutter, the most prolific British composer from the 1970’s to today. The work highlights a children’s choir with chorus, orchestra and Soprano and Baritone soloists. The children’s choir is composed of auditioned student singers from Catawba, Burke, Alexander and Caldwell counties. They have prepared for this performance with Hickory Choral Society Assistant Conductor, Tammy Shook. Mrs. Shook served as a middle school choral director at Arndt Middle School during her career. Dr. Lein and Dr. Potter will perform the solos featured in this work.

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 Spring 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.

243 3rd Avenue NE, Suite 2-N                            Terri Jo Faherty
Hickory, NC 28601                                            HCS Office Manager 828-322-2210
www.hickorychoralsociety.org                            noteworthy@hickorychoralsociety.org