By Roger Sherman
The spring concert of the 65-voice Orcas Choral Society, “You can sing THAT at MY funeral!”, will be performed this Saturday night at 7:30 and Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. The concert explores the themes of sleep, death, dreams and immortality with music and texts by American voices.
The first half consists of music mostly written in the last 10 years and follows a narrative illustrated by the titles: “Abide with me, fast falls the even tide”, “Sing me to heaven” (Daniel Gawthrop), “Sleep” (Eric Whitacre), “In Dreams” (John Earnest), “Is there really such a thing as ‘Morning’?” (Craig Hella Johnson), Dawn (Eric William Barnum), “O quam gloriosum” (Howard Helvey), and ending with “The Billy Joel Lullaby”, a piece which summarizes the themes of the half beautifully in its last verse.
The second half features three spirituals arranged by William Dawson, and two “Victorian visions of the Apocalypse” (“The Holy City” and “Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Soloists include Megan Drake (soprano), Holly King (soprano), Martin Lund (clarinet) and Terri Triplett (piano), with yours truly directing.
If you are on or near Orcas Island this weekend, have some musical fun and come to one of our two concerts! Both performances are at Orcas Center in Eastsound. Contact Orcas Center for ticket info: www.orcascenter.org or call 376-2281.
