Nova Singers Presents Fall Concerts Concerts:
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Sunday, October 25 at 4:00 p.m., at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Davenport Cathedral Classics is a program of sacred music designed to move and inspire audience members. Artistic director Laura Lane is known for her thematic programs. “I have never done an entirely sacred program before, and I felt the need to do so. I chose many different kinds of sacred works—it’s amazing the diversity one can find in the world of sacred music.” Two of the works featured on the program are Herbert Howells’ Requiem and I Cannot Dance O Lord by Aaron Jay Kernis. Howells wrote the Requiem as a memorial for his son, Michael, who died suddenly in 1935 of polio. He finished the Requiem in 1936 but did not release it to the public until 1980, “for personal reasons.” Laura Lane says, “Howells’ Requiem is incredibly beautiful. It’s a miniature masterpiece for a cappella double choir. At moments, it is tranquil and serene; then it swells into 8 or 10 parts and seems to cry out in anguish. For me, conducting this work is a spiritual experience.” Kernis wrote I Cannot Dance O Lord to a text by medieval mystic nun Mechthild of Magdeburg. Considered to be one of the most significant pieces written for choir in the 20th century, I Cannot Dance is rhythmically and vocally virtuosic. Lane says, “Until the very end of the work, there is no real sense of meter, or regular pulse. The rhythms and meters shift so often and so quickly that the singers rarely feel together and cannot sink into a pulse until the very end of the work. Kernis has brilliantly painted the meaning of the words in this constantly changing piece.” Other works on the program include Randall Thompson’s Alleluia, Josquin des Prez’s Missa Pangua Lingua, and Eric Whitacre’s i thank you God for most this amazing day. Nova Singers is a 20-voice professional ensemble that seeks to share with its audiences the power and beauty of a wide variety of choral music. The group has performed at state, regional, and national conventions of the American Choral Directors Association and throughout the Midwest. Nova Singers has produced six recordings that are available to the public. Dr. Laura Lane is Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at Knox College. In 2005 she made her Carnegie Hall debut conducting choirs from Knox and Galesburg in Vaughn Williams’ Dona nobis pacem. For over twenty years, Dr. Lane has been serving the greater Galesburg and Quad-Cities communities, bringing beautiful choral music to audiences and singers alike. A leader in her field, she is known throughout the country for her innovative programming and her passion for expressive singing. Tickets will be available at the door. Admission is $15 for adults and $10 for seniors. Students are admitted free. Nova Singers season tickets will still be available through this performance. Season ticket holders receive four concerts for the price of three. For information about group rates, tickets, recordings, or other Nova Singers events, call 309-341-7038, or e-mail nova@knox.edu. Nova’s Cathedral Classics is sponsored by OSF St. Mary Medical Center. Nova Singers’ 2009-2010 season is partially funded by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council. |