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Event
Chorus America Opening Concert, featuring Northwest Girlchoir and Opus 7 Vocal Ensemble
Northwest Girlchoir and Opus 7 join forces for the opening concert of the Chorus America Annual Conference, featuring a rare performance of Benjamin Britten's Voices for Today, along with pieces by composers from the Pacific Northwest and beyond.
Northwest Girlchoir will perform a brief history in song of the first peoples to call Seattle home. The program begins with "bone game" songs of the indigenous Coast Salish people and a setting of the famous speech by Chief Sealth (Seattle) by Ron Jeffers, followed by the English folk song Bobby Shaftoe to represent the English and French who came to the Puget Sound by ship, and That Raging Canoe, an American folk song, arranged by Alice Parker, in honor of the settlers who came west along the Oregon Trail.
With pieces like On suuri sun rantas autius by Finnish composer Matti Hyökki and Walk in Jerusalem by Rollo Dilworth, the Girlchoir pays tribute to those of Scandinavian, Asian, Jewish, and African-American heritage who worked to create a thriving Seattle. The program concludes with the world premiere of a piece by Andrea Ramsey (text by Walt Whitman) commissioned to celebrate Northwest Girlchoir's 40th anniversary, the ever greater diversity and thriving choral scene in the Puget Sound, and Chorus America's visit to Seattle!
Opus 7 Vocal Ensemble joins Northwest Girlchoir for a joint performance of Benjamin Britten's rarely heard Voices for Today, which was composed for the 20th anniversary of the United Nations. Opus 7's program continues with pieces written by noted Pacific Northwest composers. The program will include "Answer: The Snow" and "Answer: A Cow" from Riddle Me This by William Bergsma, Nada te turbe by Joan Szymko, Thanksgiving Day, 1861: One Vacant Chair by Bern Herbolsheimer (to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg), and Tongues of Fire by the ensemble's resident composer, John Muehleisen.
Since 1972 the Northwest Girlchoir Community has been offering girls and young women a transformational experience through music education and artistic excellence. Sara Boos is the Artistic Director.
Opus 7 was formed by Loren Ponten in 1992 and features some of the Northwest's finest choral artists. The group is known for its glorious sound, ardent musicality, and innovative programming of late 19th-, 20th-, and 21st-century choral repertoire.
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LocationFirst Presbyterian Church, Seattle (View)
1013 - 8th Avenue
Seattle, WA 98101
United States
Categories
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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