Durango Choral Society premiers its show, “Around the World with the Durango Choral Society,” online Friday night, and its singers are taking its audience around the world at a time when taking an actual trip can be a fairly dicey proposition.
“The Choral Society has had a number of trips abroad and also in the United States,” said Linda Mack Berven, director/conductor of DCS. “This concert features some commentaries from me along with footage of beautiful sites from these different places and some of the music that we sang in some absolutely fabulous venues.”
Mack Berven said that since about 2009, DCS members have taken the show on the road – they’ve been just about everywhere: Hawaii, Greece, Croatia and they’ve even performed onstage at Carnegie Hall in New York – three times. (The Children’s Choir has performed there as well.)
Because the group has been to so many places, Mack Berven said it’s hard to pick a favorite.
“It would be hard to choose. Greece was absolutely amazing. Then there was Hawaii, where we learned how to hula dance and make leis and we sang in an international choral festival. And then there was Carnegie Hall, of course,” she said. “I would be hard-pressed to choose my favorite because they were all different and they were all just wonderful. We’re excited for the audience to see and experience the joy and the amazing places that we performed in.”
The show’s program will feature DCS performances from around the world and also offer an inside look at the group’s travels. There will also be commentary by Mack Berven and performances by the Women’s and Youth choirs. And the music selections illustrate the global nature of the show: Check out Mozart’s “Dies Irae” performed in Prague, songs sung in Croatian while performed in Zagreb and pieces performed closer to home with singers from Telluride and Santa Fe.
Tickets for “Around the World” start at $5 per household and go up on a sliding scale. This is by design, Mack Berven said.
“They can choose whatever is comfortable for their family, and we’re very grateful for anything,” she said. “We want to make sure that all of our concerts, we’re going to continue making sure that our concerts are family-friendly and affordable for our community because after all, that’s why we do this.”
Mack Berven said DCS is looking forward to a live performance in conjunction with Southwest Civic Winds on the Fourth of July at Rotary Park.
And, perhaps a return to live performances a little later in the year – with an eye to those who may not yet be ready for an indoor performance.
“I’m hoping to be back with live performances in the fall. It’s my hope that for our first performance in the fall we will offer the audience – because there still may be some hesitation about attending a live performance – I’m hoping we will give a live performance and also livestream it at the same time,” Mack Berven said. “It will be a hybrid model at least for the fall. And people can pay the same ticket price and either watch it at home or make a reservation to watch it in person.”
katie@durangoherald.com
To watch
What:
“Around the World with the Durango Choral Society.”
When:
Premiers at 7 p.m. Friday (April 23).
Where:
Online.
Tickets:
Tickets start at $5.
More information:
For tickets and login information, visit
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