Graceland University Choirs to Perform Friday

The Graceland Concert Choir and Chamber Singers will perform their fall concert Friday, Nov. 4, at 7:30 p.m. in the Shaw Family Auditorium. The concert is free and the public is welcome. “Alleluia” is the theme that director Sara Blessing has selected for this diverse program. Composers from Hungary, Estonia, Germany, and Switzerland will contribute selections with their American counterparts.

Seasoned audience goers will recognize some familiar favorites. “Hark! I Hear the Harps Eternal” is a rousing early American anthem arranged by the ever popular Alice Parker for the Robert Shaw Chorale. “The Battle of Jericho,” by Moses Hogan, will bring that well-known Bible story to the Graceland stage.

Last year, the choir premiered a piece commissioned for the Graceland choral department. Michael John Trotta’s “Behold, How Good” will become a feature of every vocal concert, and former choir members will be invited back on stage to sing.

The program is a challenging one including many different settings and several languages. Selections are weighted toward the sacred but vary significantly in rhythms, tempos, and moods.

Come enjoy the sounds of the Graceland choirs this Friday at 7:30 p.m. in Shaw Center on the Lamoni campus.