Community Choir to present spring concert
COSHOCTON — Wondrous Love is the theme of the Coshocton Community Choir’s Spring Concert on Sunday, April 27 at 3 p.m. More than 200 musicians from throughout central Ohio in the adult choir, The Coshocton Children’s Choir, the Coshocton Youth Chorale, the Roscoe Brass, and accompanist, Dickie Barrick will perform at Coshocton High School’s McKinley Auditorium.
The choir’s founder and director, Charles R. Snyder, said that sometimes the title of a particular song sparks the creative process, and such was the case for this year’s Community Choir concert.
“The American folk hymn, ‘Wondrous Love’, is known around the world and crosses denominational lines,” said Snyder. “While there are dozens of arrangements in print – and several in our Community Choir library – Dr. Christiansen’s setting is perhaps my favorite.”
Snyder said that this concert is also a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Paul J. Christiansen. Christiansen spent 50 years as the conductor of the Concordia Choir at Concordia College in Northfield, Minnesota. He was invited to chair the Concordia music department in 1937 at the age of 23, and the Concordia Choir he developed later received international acclaim. They sang in Coshocton in 1982 and in 1986. Dr. Christiansen was also a prolific composer and arranger, and had summer choral schools across the country.
“We will be singing four of Christiansen’s pieces in this concert including his arrangement of ‘Wondrous Love’, and his setting of the hymn ‘Lift High the Cross’ that he wrote for the Coshocton Community Choir,” said Snyder.
The program is varied in styles and time periods from the 1500s to the present day. The pieces range from the familiar such as John Rutter’s setting of ‘When the Saints Go Marching In’ to the lesser known ‘An Apostrophe to the Heavenly Host’, a piece for double choir that has been on the Community Choir’s ‘bucket list’ for at least 30 years. Handel’s ‘Hallelujah, Amen’ from ‘Judas Maccabeus’ and Randall Thompson’s ‘The Last Words of David’ will be familiar to many who sang in their high school or college choirs. Audiences will also enjoy the jazzy ‘Lord, Listen to Your Children Praying’, by blind composer Ken Medema.
The first group of songs reflect the Lent/Easter season, ending with the familiar ‘Christ the Lord Is Risen Today’. The second group features four choral masterworks – pieces that are in the choral canon and sung around the world.
The last set of songs includes spirituals, hymn tunes, and a beautiful setting of the prayer of St. Francis. The audience will be invited to join the three choirs and the Roscoe Brass Quintet in singing ‘When the Saints Go Marching In’. Community Choir alumni will be invited to join the present choir in singing, ‘Beautiful Savior’ and Peter Lutkin’s choral benediction, ‘The Lord Bless You and Keep You.’ Children’s Choir alumni will be invited to the stage to join the current singers in ‘Goin’ Up a Yonder’ and Katie Moran Bart’s ‘Blessing.’
The Coshocton Community Choir’s Spring Concert Wondrous Love takes place on Sunday, April 27, at 3 p.m. at Coshocton High School’s McKinley Auditorium, located at 1205 Cambridge Road in Coshocton. Tickets for the Wondrous Love concert are $10 for adults and $5 for students and are available at the door, on the choir website CoshoctonCommunityChoir.org or by calling Business Manager, Lee Bown at (740) 622-3960. This concert also celebrates Lee Bown’s 30th anniversary as the Community Choir manager.
Tickets are also available at these presale ticket outlets— Ohio State of Mind in Roscoe Village; Good News Book Store, Buehler’s Foodmarket, and Marilyn’s Natural Foods in Coshocton; Home Loan Savings Bank in West Lafayette; and Baker’s Foods in Newcomerstown.
For more information, contact the Coshocton Community Choir at (740) 623-0554 or find them on Facebook and at www.CoshoctonCommunityChoir.org
Category: Arts & Entertainment
