Wisconsin Chamber Choir with Sinfonia Sacra Chamber Orchestra
courtesy WCC
Wisconsin Chamber Choir
press release:Join the Wisconsin Chamber Choir and the Sinfonia Sacra Chamber Orchestra on May 13 for our concert, “Hope Springs Eternal.”
The concert will be at the First Unitarian Society Atrium Auditorium on Friday, May 13, 2022 at 7:30pm CT. Tickets are $2 to attend in-person. The concert will also be live-streamed at no cost for listeners who are unable to join us in-person.
Be sure to RSVP to our Facebook Event. You can order your tickets for in-person attendance by visiting: https://www.
A wide variety of musical styles, composers, and formats awaits you. Works with orchestra include G. F. Handel’s powerful anthem, As Pants the Hart for Cooling Streams; the joyful Laetatus sum (I Was Glad) by Bohemian Baroque composer J. D. Zelenka, and Prairie Spring, a luminous setting of a poem about hope and renewal by Willa Cather, composed in 2014 by Wisconsin composer Christian Ellenwood.
In keeping with the WCC’s tradition of promoting new music, the concert will feature three brand new works. In a world premiere performance, Freedom: To Be Free and Sky Bound, by Chicago composer Augusta Read Thomas, honors civil rights icon Rosa Parks. Make Some Noise: Get In Trouble (Good Trouble, Necessary Trouble) by Tennessee composer Roland Carter, is a stirring call to action, setting words of the late John Lewis. The WCC co-commissioned both pieces in partnership with Chorus America, a national organization of independent choruses.
While the overarching theme of our concert is hope, our program acknowledges the ongoing troubles of our world. In response to the war in Ukraine, we are proud to present the haunting Ukrainian folk song, Plyve kacha (The Swimming Duckling), and the Soviet-era peace song, Den bez vystrela (A Day without a Shot on Earth) in a world-premiere arrangement by former Madison resident Alena Holmes. Selections from the rich tradition of African-American music reinforce the message of perseverance in the face of challenging times: My Soul’s Been Anchored in the Lord by Minnesota composer Carol Barnett, and Hope by former Sweet Honey in the Rock member, Ysaÿe Barnwell.
Featured guests include vocal soloists Rachel Wood and Zoya Nevinskaya, and Madison’s “Gospel Ambassadors” Tamera and Leotha Stanley, reading excerpts from the writings of Rosa Parks and John Lewis.
Founded in 1998, the Wisconsin Chamber Choir has established a reputation for excellence in the performance of oratorios by Bach, Handel, Mozart, and Brahms; a cappella works from various centuries; and world premieres. Our partner orchestra, Sinfonia Sacra, is made up of members of the Madison Symphony, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, and regional period-instrument ensembles. WCC Artistic Director Robert Gehrenbeck, Director of Choral Activities at UW-Whitewater, has been hailed by critics for his vibrant and emotionally compelling interpretations of a wide variety of choral masterworks.
The Wisconsin Chamber Choir is committed to making our concert widely accessible by making tickets affordable and live-streaming the concert for free. This would not be possible without the generous support from listeners like you as well as Dane Arts, the Wisconsin Arts Board, and Dane County (in partnership with the Madison Community Foundation). Without all of this support, our choir may be in a very different situation this season. If you would like to support us this season consider donating online by clicking this link or mail a check to PO Box 46353, Madison, WI 53744-6353.
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