Luck, Laughter, and Love
Carmina Burana
Carl Orff
with the Williamsport Symphony Orchestra
Friday, October 24
7:30 pm
Community Arts Center
220 West Fourth Street
Williamsport, PA 17701
Sunday, October 26
4:00 pm
State College High School Performance Hall
650 Westerly Parkway
State College, PA 16801
We are excited to be joining forces with the Williamsport Symphony Orchestra to open the 77th season of the State College Choral Society with the perennial favorite, Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana. Inspired by a collection of Medieval poetry from southern Germany, Orff composed the music in 1935 in a style purposefully much simpler and more tonal than his contemporaries Schoenberg and Stravinsky. The poetry’s focus on the fickleness of luck, life in the tavern, and the thrill of springtime and love, are as relevant today as when they were written nearly one thousand years ago. The iconic music of Carmina Burana remains a mainstay popular culture today, as is heard in commercials and athletic events.
Light In the Dark
A Holiday Concert
with special guests Centre Brass
Saturday, December 6
4:00 pm
State College High School Performance Hall
650 Westerly Parkway
State College, PA 16801
​
Erik Clayton, Artistic Director
Chichester Psalms
Leonard Bernstein
Gloria
Randol Alan Bass​
The program begins with Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms. Set in Hebrew and infused with the scales and modes of traditional Jewish music, Bernstein presents the Psalms in a far different way from the classical composers of the Christian tradition. The music is unmistakably Bernstein, with his unique rhythmic drive and tuneful melodies in full force. The concert concludes with Randol Allan Bass’ setting of the Gloria text. Written in 1990 and performed by the Boston Pops, this glittering rendition of the famous Latin text finishes our program with a flourish!
As in years past, this concert is also a food drive with all proceeds going to a local food bank.
So please remember to bring donations of dry goods in lieu of the cost of a concert ticket!
Comfort for
the Living
with special guests
State High Master Singers
Sunday, March 22
3:00 pm
State College High School Performance Hall
650 Westerly Parkway
State College, PA 16801
​
Erik Clayton, Artistic Director
Tragic Overture, Op. 81
Johannes Brahms
Ein deutsches Requiem, Op. 45
Johannes Brahms
The highlight of the season is our performance of Johannes Brahms’ timeless Ein deutsches Requiem. Although composed over several decades, the requiem was undoubtedly influenced by the passing of Brahms’ mother. Not specifically liturgical, the work nevertheless exists within a Christian context. Rather than being a setting of the Catholic Rite for the Dead, Brahms selected biblical passages of his own choosing that focus on the comfort of the living in the consolation of an afterlife free of sorrow and pain.
Many hallmarks of Brahms’ musical style are present in the work: the economical utilization of melodic and harmonic motives, an emphasis on counterpoint and fugue, and the lyrical vocal writing. This piece is Brahms’ most enduringly popular major work, and the beauty of music and emotion touches our hearts as much today as when it premiered nearly 150 years ago.
American Salute!
Sunday, April 26
4:00 pm
State College High School Performance Hall
650 Westerly Parkway
State College, PA 16801
​
Erik Clayton, Artistic Director
Hark I Hear the Harps Eternal
arr. Alice Parker
The Water Is Wide
arr. Craig Hella Johnson
Elijah Rock
Jester Hairston
Fix Me, Jesus
Hall Johnson
Battle Hymn of the Republic
Peter Wilhousky
Promise of Living
Aaron Copland
Irving Berlin's America
arr. Roger Emerson, Irving Berlin
We close our 77th Season with a celebration of the 250th birthday of the United States featuring some of the greatest choral repertoire from the American tradition. Highlights include Peter Wilhousky’s immortal arrangement of The Battle Hymn of the Republic, spirituals by Jester Hairston and William Dawson, highlights from the songs of Irving Berlin, and The Promise of Living, Aaron Copland’s stirring hymn to American life. A thrilling way to end our season!
Our 76th Season
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