Compact Delight: New Knox Choir CD

Selections from the 2005 concert tour

December 21, 2005

The Knox College Choir's newly released compact disc features twelve songs from the Choir's most recent concert tour.

Choir Members Reflect on the Recording
"The music is fantastic, this is a phenomenal group, and the CD captures the essence of each piece."
— Joe Roby

"Leonardo's Flying Machine is my personal favorite. I'm amazed how well we come together as a group for each recording."
— Ann Hernandez

The recording features nine selections performed by the 51-voice choir and three songs by the 17-voice Chamber Singers, both conducted by Laura Lane, professor of music and director of choral activities at Knox. The CD is available at the Knox College Bookstore, 309 341 7344. Samples of three selections are available below

"My personal favorites are the 16th century sacred motet 'Ave Maria' by Jean Mouton, and 'The Shepherd's Carol' a contemporary work by Bob Chilcott," Lane said. "I love the sound of the Choir in the Shepherd's Carol — warm, shimmery, beautiful, and lots of expression. Ave Maria — an early Renaissance motet — has beautiful style and line."

"The students' favorites are 'Leonardo dreams of his flying machine — an extremely dramatic, nine-minute work that tells the story of Leonardo da Vinci dreaming of building a flying machine and then taking off and flying in it," Lane said. "An audience favorite is the Chamber Singers' vocal arrangement of the overture to Rossini's opera 'Barber of Seville.' They imitate the various instruments of the orchestra, and audiences just loved it."

The CD was recorded in First Presbyterian Church in Galesburg, immediately after the Knox College Choir, Galesburg Community Chorus and other choral groups performed in a concert conducted by Lane at Carnegie Hall.

In the spring of 2006, the Choir will perform in Spain.

Founded in 1837, Knox is a national liberal arts college in Galesburg, Illinois, with students from 46 states and 43 nations. Knox’s “Old Main” is a National Historic Landmark and the only building remaining from the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates.

Knox College Choir - Tour 2005 Track Listing
1. Surgens Jesus, Peter Phillips, c 1600
2. Ave Maria, Jean Mouton, c 1500
3. Gaudete, Steven Sametz, 1995
4. Si chio vorrei morire, Claudio Monteverdi, c 1600
5. Hodie, Niels LaCour, 1983
6. Overture to Barber of Seville, Rossini, 1816
7. Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine, Eric Whitacre, 2001
8. Muie Rendera, Brazilian folk song, arr. Pinto Fonseca
9. The Shepherd's Carol, Bob Chilcott, 2004
10. The Promised Land, American folk hymn, arr. Ronald Staheli
11. How Can I Keep from Singing? Anna Bartlett Warner, Robert Lowry, c. 1860
12. The Knox Hymn, Hail to Alma Mater, Carpenter, Weddell