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The concert featuring the Milligan Concert Choir, the Milligan’s Women’s Chorale and Heritage, Milligan’s touring a cappella ensemble, will launch a new concert tradition for Milligan’s music department. Heritage and the Concert Choir are under the direction of Noah DeLong, assistant professor of music. The Women’s Chorale is led by Anne Elliott, assistant professor of the practice of music.
“I have enjoyed working with the wonderful students and faculty at Milligan, and I am delighted to partner with Mrs. Elliott to start this new tradition of a fall concert that showcases all of the great choral ensembles we have at Milligan,” DeLong said. “We hope that many people from the Milligan community as well as the surrounding communities will join us for a great evening of choral music.”
The evening will commence with the distinctive a cappella performance style of Heritage. The ensemble will sing Jay Rouse’s energetic version of “I Sing the Mighty Power of God” followed by Walt Harrah’s jazz-inspired arrangement, “I Love you, Lord,” with a solo by Carshala Davis, a junior from Memphis, Tenn.
“The eight members of Heritage show great commitment to using their music to minister to others,” DeLong said.
The Women’s Chorale will perform next, sharing arrangements of various styles, including two well-known pieces of the African spiritual tradition. Their first arrangement, “Give Me Jesus” by John Helgen, provides a simple and elegant interpretation of the familiar tune, highlighted by a cello countermelody.
Next, the chorale will perform R. Wilding-White’s arrangement of “At the River,” which uses Aaron Copland’s famous adaptation of “Shall We Gather at the River.”
The chorale will also bring sentimental poetry to life through lush harmonies with David Schwoebel’s sensitive arrangement of Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s poem “How Do I Love Thee?” They will present a premiere performance of contemporary Christian song writer Michael Card’s “The Basin and the Towel,” arranged for three-part women’s voices by Dr. David Runner, professor of music at Milligan. The final number will be a nod to the 1950s and the hit pop tune, “Mister Sandman,” stylistically arranged by Ed Lojeski.
In its fourth year at Milligan, the Women’ Chorale sings literature of different styles ranging from sacred to popular music.
“Working with a women’s choral ensemble is a joy as we celebrate our distinctive female sound,” said Elliott. “From the rehearsal to the performance, the ladies truly love to sing.”
Milligan’s Concert Choir will follow the Women’s Chorale with a selection from Zimbabwe titled “Uyai Mose.” Written by Alexander Gondo and arranged by Roger Wesby, this song is an exciting and rhythmic call for all people to come and worship the Lord. Next is a Paul J. Satre early-folk-style arrangement of the great American hymn, “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing.” Other arrangements include Paul Christiansen’s “My Song in the Night” and Stephen Foster’s “Nelly Bly.”
The Concert Choir will conclude the evening with a spiritual arranged by Robert DeCormier titled “Obey the Spirit of the Lord,” featuring soprano soloist Nancy Schranz, a freshman from Tallahassee, Fla.
The Concert Choir is an auditioned mixed chorus with a varied repertoire of classics, spirituals, hymn arrangements and musical theater.
For more information, contact the Milligan music department at 423.461.8723 or visit www.milligan.edu/arts.