The Starkville/MSU Symphony Chorus will present a concert of choral music selected on the theme “Ode to Nature” at 3 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 23 at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 607 Hospital St., in Starkville. The concert will feature not only music related to nature, but also artwork created on the theme of nature. Artwork will be offered for perusal and also for sale.
Music will feature choral works including “The Blue Bird” by Charles Villiers Stanford, a teacher of Ralph Vaughan Williams; John Rutter’s “For the Beauty of the Earth,” “All Creatures of Our God and King,” text by St. Francis of Assisi and set to a German melody by J. Ashley Hall; “The Paper Reeds by The Brooks” by Randall Thompson; “Blow the Winds Gently” by Lee Dengler and Joseph D. Rojahn; and “Sweet Day” from Three Elizabethan Part Songs, by Ralph Vaughan Williams, words by George Herbert.
The Symphony Chorus is conducted by Dr. Doug Browning.
In addition, Dr. Cherry Dunn, voice instructor at Mississippi University for Women, will bring two of her students. Kaitlin Ross, mezzo soprano, will sing “Loveliest of Trees” by John Duke. Keandra White, soprano, will sing “In the Dark Pine Wood” by Ben Moore. Dunn will sing “The Lake Isle of Innisfree” by Ben Moore.
Si Thomas, boy soprano and a student of Browning, will sing the hymn tune “Morning Has Broken.”
Accompanying the chorus and soloists will be James Allen, retired professor at MUW and organist at the First United Methodist Church in Columbus.
As a preview of its next concert March 5, 2017, the chorus will perform a few excerpts from “Trial By Jury,” a delightfully funny dramatic cantata by Gilbert and Sullivan.
All events presented by the Starkville/MSU Symphony Association are open to the public and free of charge.
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