Menomonie Singers Concert

On April 26 and 27, The Menomonie Singers will perform Vivaldi’s Gloria and other selections by Eric Whitacre, Elaine Hagenberg, Rupert Lang, Leonard Bernstein, and an Alice Parker/Robert Shaw arrangement. The Gloria will be accompanied by local musicians.

Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Eau Claire hosts the choir on April 26 at 2 pm. The Singers will present the same program at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Menomonie on April 27 at 2 pm. The suggested donation is $10.

The Vivaldi Gloria, one of three Glorias by Antonio Vivaldi, was composed possibly in 1715, and is a sacred work, meaning it is for religious purposes. It is made up of 12 movements or sections, which sections contain choral, solo or small ensemble singing in Latin. Several sections of the Gloria reflect the theme of the concert: “Lift Up and Give Thanks”. For example, in the first movement which is entitled, “Gloria”, the translation is Glory to God in the highest. Again, looking at the fourth movement, Gratias Agimus Tibi, we find a text of gratitude reflective of the theme: We give thanks to you for your great glory.

Eric Whitacre’s Sing Gently evokes the yearning and gratitude of singing together especially in difficult times. The piece was written in 2020 when many choirs were reduced to filming themselves singing a single part of a piece, and then uploading their video to a platform which would then put all the videos together for a single performance of the work. 17,572 singers from 129 countries come together to perform Sing Gently, composed in response to the global pandemic.

Sara Teasdale’s poem, Refuge, is featured in Elaine Hagenberg’s choral work of the same name. Accompanied by cello and piano, the work opens with haunting cello music underlaid by a frantic, racing piano accompaniment, sounding like a lament. Ultimately, the piece brings us to the inspiring message of gratitude that singing can become a refuge, and as long as one can sing, one is free.

The uplifting choral work, Make Our Garden Grow, by Leonard Bernstein, from the musical, Candide, caps the Singers’ program. Its message is one of appreciation, and that we will do the best we can in difficult times.

“We’ll do the best we know.
We’ll build our house and chop our wood
And make our garden grow.”

The choir is looking for new members to expand the group to 40. Auditions will be held again in August with rehearsals beginning again shortly after auditions for concerts in the fall. Interested singers should contact Juliana Schmidt, Executive Director and founder, at [email protected]

Check out our website at www.themenomoniesingers.org. The Menomonie Singers can also be found on Facebook.