GC Choirs and Orchestra to Perform Mozart’s Requiem and Bach’s Cantata 131 in Concert
Published: April 13, 2021
The Greenville College Choir, Chorale, Chamber Singers and Orchestra will perform Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Requiem and Johann Sebastian Bach's No. Cantata 131 on Sunday, April 25 at 4:00 p.m. in the Whitlock Music Center on the campus of Greenville College.
Performers
The 67-voice Chorus and the 24-piece Orchestra includes members of south central Illinois communities in addition to students, staff, and faculty members from Greenville College.Guest vocal soloists will include:soprano Debra Marsch (Associate Professor of Music at Greenville College); mezzo-soprano Kathy Lawton Brown (Adjunct Professor of Voice at Greenville College); tenors Terrince Tackett and Andrew Hall (students at Greenville College); and baritones John Derr (Edwardsville, IL) and Andy Gibb Clark (student at Greenville College).
Eleven professional instrumentalists from the St. Louis area will join the Greenville Chamber Orchestra, directed by Professor Joe Noble of Greenville College.Local professional musicians Catherine Burge, Paul Schorsch and Chris Woods will also play in the orchestra. Dr. Jeff Wilson, Director of Choral Studies at Greenville College and Music Director of the Greenville Choral Union, will conduct the concert.
Program Overview
The concert features selections written by two of the most renowned composers of Western music. The prolific Baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) wrote over 500 cantatas for use in church worship.The April 25th Concert will begin with what is believed to be his first composition in this genre.Cantata No. 131 ("Aus der Tiefen" / "Out of the depths") is based on Psalm 130 and was written in 1708 for a commemorative service following a fire in the town of Mlhausen, Germany. This piece will be performed by the 20-voice Greenville College Chambers Singers and select Chamber Orchestra members.
The concert will conclude with what has perhaps become Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's most famous work for chorus and orchestra - the Requiem.W.A. Mozart (1756-1791) was commissioned to write this piece near the end of his life, but died before he was able to finish it.Several musicians have 'completed' the work based on Mozart's sketches.The Greenville Choirs and Chamber Orchestra will be performing a version completed in the 1790's by Viennese composer Franz Sssmayer and recently edited by British musician Duncan Druce.
Seating for the concert will begin at 3:30 p.m.An offering will be taken to help defray the costs of the concert.
For those who are not able to attend the performance, the concert will be broadcast live on FM 89.5, WGRN.
For more information about the Greenville Choral Union and Greenville Chamber Orchestra, please contact the Greenville College Department of Music at (618) 664-6560.
