The sung mass has a long tradition in the Christian church, and has been interpreted in every musical era and style.  This semester’s program features one of the best-known classical masses, Mozart’s Mass in C Major, K. 317, historically called the Coronation Mass, as well as two more contemporary mass selections, the Sanctus from Leonard Bernstein’s Mass, and the Agnus Dei from Karl Jenkins’ The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace.

The Southern Illinois Symphony Orchestra will join the soloists and choirs, under the baton of Dr. Susan Davenport, Director of Choral Activities and Professor of Music at SIU Carbondale.

This semester’s program includes Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana and Make Our Garden Grow, from Leonard Bernstein’s Candide.

The SIU Wind Ensemble will accompany, and the SIU Concert Choir, Kaskaskia College Concert Choir and John A. Logan Concert Choir will also share the stage.

The program will feature music, old and new, which points us to the heavens.

• The Heavens are Telling the Glory of God from Haydn’s oratorio The Creation
• Seek Him That Maketh the Seven Stars by Jonathan Dove
• Stargazing by James Eakin
• To the Field of Stars by Gabriel Jackson

The program will use a variety of accompaniments, including organ, solo cello, percussion, celeste and string septet.

This choral masterpiece, rather than using the Latin text of a funeral mass service, sets lyrical and evocative psalms and other texts from the Lutheran Bible.  One excerpt from the first movement translates as:

He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

There will be two performances of this program:

The program will include:

• Gaudete (16th c carol), anonymous
• Messe de Minuit pour Noel, Marc-Antoine Charpentier   (Midnight Mass for Christmas, based on French carols, sung in Latin)
• Gloria, Randol Alan Bass
• A Feast of Carols, Randol Alan Bass

The Southern Illinois Symphony Orchestra will join the SIU Choral Union and Concert Choirs for this concert.

The program will include:

• Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms (listen to a sample)
• Two of  G.F. Handel’s Coronation Anthems, The King Shall Rejoice and Let Thy Hand be Strengthened.
• Gustav Holst’s Psalm 148  (listen to a sample)
• Some motets by Thomas Weelkes

The Chichester tie-ins?  Bernstein was commissioned to write Chichester Psalms by the cathedral, the Handel pieces are performed there quite often, Weelkes was an organist there (400 years ago!) and Holst is even buried there.

This concert will be May 3, 2016 7:30 – 9pm at Shryock Auditorium, SIU Carbondale

The program, which features the SIU Choral Union & the SIU Concert Choir, will be two works for the Christmas season which feature harp accompaniment:

• Carols and Lullabies of the Southwest by Conrad Susa, accompanied by harp, marimba, and guitar
• A Ceremony of Carols by Benjamin Britten, accompanied by harp

This concert will be December 8, 2015 7:30 – 9pm at Shryock Auditorium, SIU Carbondale

The program will be a retrospective of the development of the spiritual in America, by African-American composers from William Henry Smith to Jester Hairston to William Dawson and others.

Peace on Earth.  The idea has been inspiration for as long as people have made music.  This program will feature a variety of works on the theme, from the 18th century to the 21st:

• Gloria and Dona Nobis Pacem from the Mass in B Minor by J.S. Bach
• Agnus Dei by Samuel Barber (based on a movement from his Adagio for Strings)
• In Terra Pax by Gerald Finzi
• Armed Man, Benedictus, and Better is Peace from Armed Man: A Mass for Peace, by Karl Jenkins

The Southern Illinois Symphony Orchestra will join the SIU Choral Union and Concert Choirs for this concert.

On the program:

• Te Deum by Franz Joseph Haydn
• Requiem in D minor by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart