Travel the world through song at The Menomonie Singers concerts on November 16 and 17. The choir will perform a wide selection of music in various languages in Songs from Around the World, with concerts at Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, Eau Claire, on November 16 at 2 pm, and at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Menomonie on November 17 at 2 pm. There is a suggested donation of $10.
The choir will begin with Ave Maria, a sacred Renaissance Latin work by Tomas Luis de Victoria, a Spanish composer who spent some time in Rome, as a church composer.
Moving to France, the Singers will explore Faure’s Cantique de Jean Racine, a sacred work in French based on a liturgical book of prayers. Next up is Dulaman, a fast-paced, lilting traditional Irish courting song in Gaelic. Then on to Korea with Arirang, a traditional Korean folk song, arranged by Hyo Won Woo, a South Korean composer.
El Vito, The Life, a Spanish work, will be performed by the women of the choir, then turn it over to the men of the choir who will present Imaliyam, a traditional South African folk song.
The tour ends with music from Kenya and the United States.
Conductor Brian Klein is the choir’s fourth conductor. He has a degree in music education with an emphasis in choral conducting from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. He is the choral director at Mondovi Middle and High Schools. He has also worked as an assistant conductor in Philadelphia and New York City. In addition, Klein was at one time a tenor in The Menomonie Singers.
The Menomonie Singers is a non-profit music organization started in 1989. This adult community choir performs at various venues in Menomonie and western Wisconsin. Singers are a mix of many professions, including UW-Stout faculty members. The group frequently sings four-part, a cappella music.
The choir is looking for new members to expand the ensemble. Auditions will be held again in January with rehearsals beginning again shortly after auditions. Interested singers should contact Juliana Schmidt, Executive Director and founder, at admin@themenomoniesingers.org.
Check out our website at www.themenomoniesingers.org. The Menomonie Singers can also be found on Facebook.
Submitted article and photo.
