The Easton Choral Arts Society, under the direction of Maestro Wes Lockfaw, opens its 39th concert season with Simply A Capella, on Friday, November 4, 7:30 PM and Sunday, November 6, 4:00 PM at Christ Church, Easton. Maestro Lockfaw has chosen for this performance three a capella choral works which includes Randall Thompson’s The Peaceable Kingdom, Ralph Vaughn Williams Mass in G minor and Thomas Tallis’ Lamentations of Jeremiah, the latter being sung by the chamber choir. Joining the chorus will be soprano Laura Choi Stuart and tenor Joseph Regan. Returning to sing with ECAS will be mezzo-soprano Kristen Dubenion-Smith and Baritone Antony Zwerdling.
Laura Choi Stuart and Joseph Regan
The program begins with Randall Thompson’s a capella masterpiece, The Peaceable Kingdom, a sequence of sacred choruses on texts from the prophecy of Isaiah. The work has been considered a masterpiece of unaccompanied choral writing for its colorful and expressive word painting, mastery of compositional technique, and broad emotional scope.
Included in the program will be Ralph Vaughn Williams’ Mass in G minor. The Latin and English texts are taken from the Roman liturgy, the Bible and John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress. The style, reminiscent of Gregorian chant but devout and indefinably English, varies greatly in mood, intensity and expression. It remains today a unique, beautiful and lyrical masterpiece whose bold harmonies and unadorned chant-like melodies evoke the atmosphere of ancient worship.
Kristen Dubenion-Smith and Antony Zwerdling
Concluding the concert will be Lamentations of Jeremiah, A fascinating Renaissance work, by Thomas Tallis, one of the greatest composers of the 16th century. The Lamentations are of the utmost spiritual refinement and one of the most stunning examples of polyphonic music ever composed. It is a music of dreams, of visions and the sounds are rich and lofty as a medieval cathedral.
Tickets are $25 and are available at www.EastonChoralArts.org. Students will be admitted free, (reservation required). Tickets will be $30 at the door..
Easton Choral Arts Society, Inc. is a nonprofit 501 (c) (3) organization funded in part by the Maryland State Arts Council and the Talbot County Arts Council.
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