The Wagner College Choir, directed by Prof. Roger Wesby, will be featured in three performances of the annual Ethnic Celebration Series concert produced by Schola Cantorum on Hudson, a critically acclaimed choral ensemble:
The concert, entitled “American Melting Pot,” highlights the works of composers who have immigrated to the United States. Deborah Simpkin King, artistic director and founder of Schola Cantorum, will conduct.
“A uniquely American musical voice emerged from the influences of many nations,” King said. “This program embodies the international flare and vitality of this great American melting pot. The hope and optimism that continue to bring immigrants to our shores pervade the music in this concert.”
The program showcases this season’s Cantorum Young Singers, the Wagner College Choir, directed by Roger Wesby. Together with the Schola Cantorum choral ensemble, the Wagner College Choir will perform choral works representing many distinctly American genres — Appalachian folk songs, spirituals, jazz, musical theater — and many immigrant languages — English, Latin, Greek, Spanish, Samoan, and Shona, a Bantu language spoken in Zimbabwe. Among the popular favorites are “Will the Circle Be Unbroken,” “Down in the River to Pray,” “Blue Skies,” and “It Ain’t Necessarily So.”
As this season’s Schola Cantorum featured composer, Prof. Wesby will guest conduct a number of pieces, and his arrangements such as “Lost in the Stars,” “Uyai Mose” (“Come All Ye People”), and “Sweet Cane” (“Caña Dulce”) will figure prominently amid the works of luminary composers Carol Barnett, Irving Berlin, Duke Ellington, George Gershwin, Max Lifchitz, Sheena Phillips and Kurt Weill.
All tickets are priced at $15 in honor of Schola Cantorum’s 15th anniversary season. Advance tickets may be purchased online at ScholaOnHudson.org, by phone at (201) 918-3011, or by e-mail at BoxOffice@ScholaOnHudson.org. Groups interested in purchasing a block of 10 or more tickets should e-mail GroupSales@ScholaOnHudson.org for more information on special rates. Additional information regarding the ensemble and its activities can be obtained online at ScholaOnHudson.org or by calling (201) 918-3011.
