Made in America: Four Centuries of American Music
Schedule
Sun Nov 03 2024 at 03:00 pm to 04:45 pm
UTC-06:00Location
St. Michael & All Angels Episcopal Church | Prairie Village, KS
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WHO?Singers of Musica Vocale, under the direction of Jay Carter and Ryan Olsen
Arnold Epley, Founding Conductor and Artistic Advisor
Geoffrey Wilcken, Rehearsal Pianist
Matt Vangjel and Will Landon, trumpet
JoDee Davis and Chris White, trombone
Tabitha Steiner, harp
Vocal soloists:
Megan Caudle, soprano
Melissa Carter, alto
John Henrikson, tenor
Warren Huffman, baritone
Nancy Sparlin, soprano
Megan Caudle, soprano I
Kaeli Whitener, soprano II
WHAT?
American musical traditions are as varied as our people, and in past seasons Musica Vocale has explored our musical connections many other traditions. Made in America continues this exploration with music from the 17th century Colonial experience and partners it with the later works from the Spiritual tradition, Appalachian folk hymnody, and contemporary works with roots in earlier music of the United States.
At the center of the program is Melodious Accord, a large work based on early American hymns by the celebrated composer Alice Parker. After her death in December, 2023 the New York Times noted that “...her devotion to choral song over eight decades, and her conviction that communal singing was a deeply human activity, gave her a distinctive place in American music.” Melodious Accord applies Parker’s trademark gift for clarity and beauty to Colonial-era music, and the resulting pieces simultaneously honor both the past and the present.
Alongside Melodious Accord are songs from the Spiritual tradition, and music by contemporary composers - all of them works that share some of Parker’s musical fingerprint. Chester Alwes’ The Lord to me a Shepherd is comes from the Bay Psalm Book (1640), the first published text in the Massachusetts Bay colony. The music of the Spiritual tradition is represented in arrangements by Gerre Hancock and Nathaniel Dett, one of the first Black American musicians to receive formal musical training and achieve broad notoriety. The twentieth century American giants Samuel Barber, Aaron Copland, and Ned Rorem are represented in a series of lesser-programmed original works that exhibit lyrical beauty and textual clarity. Two works by living composers, Colin Britt and Gwyneth Walker, round out this sampler of American works.
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Where is it happening?
St. Michael & All Angels Episcopal Church, 6630 Nall Ave, Mission, KS 66202-4325, United States,Mission, Kansas, Prairie VillageEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
