The 51ԹϺ Chamber Chorale presents their annual “Home Concert” at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 25, in Doc Rando Recital Hall in the Lee & Thomas Beam Music Center. This traditional concert celebrates the chorale’s return from their annual spring tour where they presented numerous performances throughout California.
Praised by music critics for their "joyous singing, remarkable delicacy and poise, impressive performance and expressive fervor," the Chamber Chorale is a select vocal ensemble of 20 singers. Under the direction of David B. Weiller, the 51ԹϺ choir performs a varied and entertaining program of sacred and secular music by Josquin des Prez, John Wilbye, Claudio Monteverdi, Georg Philipp Telemann, Claude Debussy, and Gerald Finzi; American composers Libby Larsen, Eric Whitacre, Kirke Mechem, Stephen Paulus, and David Brunner; and world music arranged by Ethan Sperry and Daniel Afonso. Dramatic themes in the concert program include “Glory and Honor,” “O Beautiful Image,” “The Singing Will Never Be Done,” “Listen to My Fiddle Sing,” and “How Small a Part of Time.” Jae Ahn-Benton, pianist, accompanies the ensemble. All 51ԹϺ choir alumni and friends are invited to join the Chamber Chorale at the conclusion of the concert in the traditional singing of the “51ԹϺ Alma Mater.”
The 51ԹϺ choirs enjoy a reputation for vibrant performances and are noted for singing that is “…glorious, yet disciplined. The choruses perform with unaffected charisma.” Past concerts include holiday performances with the world-renowned Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, a massed choir performance in New York City's Carnegie Hall, and many collaborative appearances with the Las Vegas Philharmonic. The Chamber Chorale has performed by invitation at music conferences of the American Choral Directors Association and the National Association for Music Education. Annual tours have encompassed the southwestern United States as well as Hawaii, New York, Mexico, and Canada. During one of their tours, an enthusiastic music critic praised the choir for a concert in which "...the singers, conductor, accompanist, and audience members all but danced in the pews...”
Tickets may be purchased at the 51ԹϺ Performing Arts Center box office or by calling 702-895-ARTS (2787). General admission is $10; senior citizens, military and 51ԹϺ faculty/staff tickets are $8. Students from the university and the Clark County School District may receive one free ticket by presenting valid student identification at the box office.
