Orcas Choral Society is weaving an American choral tapestry

||| FROM LYNN BAKER for ORCAS CHORAL SOCIETY |||

Songs of three centuries swirl through the Orcas Center every Tuesday and Thursday this spring, as the Orcas Choral Society prepares, An American Choral Tapestry, a concert of works by American composers to celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday.

“In only 250 years, our young country has overseen the expansion of older forms and contributed major genres to world culture, including jazz, rock and roll, and musical theater,” said OCS Artistic Director Bruce Langford. “Of course, even before we were “America,” musicians made music here. And that is where we start our concert.”

Coast Salish tribal flutist and storyteller Paul Chiyoketen Wagner opens the program. The choir sings 19th century popular songs that are now staples of the Great American Songbook, taps down Broadway to Tin Pan Alley, swings from George Gershwin to Irving Berlin, and crosses the country to evoke the quiet waters of Waldron Island in works by internationally renowned living composer and part-time San Juan Islands resident, Morten Lauridsen.

“When it comes to songs and choral music, American has a right to be proud,” Langford said.

The Orcas Choral Society and its tenor-bass ensemble also will perform at this year’s MAG Concert at 4 p.m., Sunday, March 29, at the Orcas High School gym. The annual MAG Concert, the major annual fundraiser of the Musical Advocacy Group, supports public school music programs for K-12 students. See you there!

Tickets are available on the Orcas Center and Orcas Choral Society websites.