Come Celebrate 40 Years of Singing

Saturday, May 5, 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, May 6, 2 p.m., Orcas Center

plus Meet the Composer Thursday, May 3, 5 p.m., Emmanuel Parish Hall

— from Lynn Baker for Orcas Choral Society —

May 3, 5 and 6, join the Orcas Choral Society in celebrating 40 years of joyful song on Orcas Island. We’ll recognize the three conductors and more than 400 islanders who have sung with the chorus in four decades with a special concert featuring Fauré’s beloved Requiem and three works by world-famous composer Morten Lauridsen. Lauridsen himself will accompany two of his pieces on piano. The major works will feature full orchestra and an organ imported into the Orcas Center for the occasion.

“This is simply glorious music,” said Cynthia Abolin, Orcas Choral Society executive director. “The Lauridsen pieces were written in our archipelago – you’ll recognize the tides and gentle peace of our waters in them. It’s a special gift to sing this music here, and a wonderful treat to have the composer with us in performance.”

The festive weekend starts Thursday, May 3, at 5 p.m. with an opportunity to meet composer Lauridsen at Emmanuel Episcopal Parish Hall, 242 Main St. in Eastsound. The free event will also feature the film, “Shining Night: A Portrait of Composer Morten Lauridsen.” Everyone is welcome.

The concert itself, “Light,” will be at Orcas Center, 917 Mt. Baker Road, Eastsound, at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, May 5 and again at 2 p.m., Sunday, May 6. Tickets, $15, $5 for students, are available at the Orcas Center box office, 360-376-2281, www.orcascenter.org.

“We’re so grateful to the many music-loving islanders who are hosting instrumentalists, and have sponsored flutes and horns, violins and double-basses to bring the full orchestration for these major pieces to our ears,” Abolin said.

Both concerts will conclude with a special reception for all current and past Choral Society members and recognition of the three conductors who have brought choral music to our island continuously since the 1970s: Catherine Pederson, Roger Sherman and Marianne Lewis.

“It’s going to be a great weekend,” Abolin said.

Meet the Composer
Meet world-famous composer Morten Lauridsen, Thursday, May 3, at 5 p.m. at Emmanuel Episcopal Parish Hall, 242 Main St. in Eastsound. Lauridsen, National Medal of Arts recipient and distinguished Professor of Composition at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music, maintains homes on San Juan and Waldron islands, and has composed many of his best loved pieces on Waldron.

The free event will also feature the film, “Shining Night: A Portrait of Composer Morten Lauridsen.” Lauridsen is visiting Orcas for the May 5 and 6 Orcas Choral Society concert, “Light!” at Orcas Center.