Like a dessert cart, Durango Choral Society’s upcoming show, “Come to the Music,” offers something for everyone.
Even a little dessert after the recital.
“Come to the Music” will be performed Sunday night at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church and it’s not only an entertaining way to spend an evening, it’s also a fundraiser for the Choral Society, said Linda Mack Berven, DCS executive director/conductor.
“We have the Women’s Choir as the featured group, plus a number of guest artists,’ she said. “Everybody in this program has donated their performance to help us with fundraising for the Choral Society.”
The goal of the fundraiser, which is the third DCS has had, she said, is to be able to continue the Choral Society’s commitment to keeping ticket prices low.
“It’s a recital – people can purchase tickets on the website and if they want to donate more that would be great. But we’re keeping our prices low and we’re committed to that because we want all of our concerts to be accessible to everybody in the community,” she said. “That’s why we do a recital like this is so that we can raise funds, we have sponsors, we have all kinds of wonderful, generous people, but doing things like this helps us to maintain that goal of keeping our ticket prices really, really manageable.”
It will be an evening jam-packed with familiar musicians, and there are some highlights Mack Berven wants you to keep an ear out for.
If you go
WHAT: Durango Choral Society presents “Come to the Music.”
WHEN: 7 p.m. Sunday.
WHERE: St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 910 East Third Ave.
TICKETS: $20 adults, available online at https://bit.ly/3VHG2uP. $5 students and children (pay at the door).
MORE INFORMATION: Visit www.durangochoralsociety.org.
“We have everything ranging from some good old-time gospel songs to stuff like ‘Ain’t Misbehavin’’ and ‘Someone to Watch Over Me.’ We have Jeff Solon and Adam Swanson. We have a young man, Brigham (Barrett), who’s a 10-year-old cellist who is going to play with his mom, and he will represent the Children’s Ensemble,” she said. “And our Women’s Choir has never sounded better – they’re going to do a very wide variety of pieces, including one of my favorites called ‘God’s Bottles,’ and it’s actually a tract from an old flyer put out by the Women’s Christian Temperance Union – it’s hilarious. It’s very difficult; it’s four-part a cappella, a really intense harmony, but it’s so cool, and the words are just delightful.
“And we have some familiar things, including a lovely arrangement of ‘Someone to watch Over Me.’ And I think a highlight is going to be Nathan Van Arsdale, who’s going to sing that Josh Groban song, ‘You Raise Me Up,’” she said.
The evening will open with Rochelle Mann performing the evening’s namesake, “Come to the Music,” by Joseph M. Martin. There’s also a nod or two to classical music’s OGs: Pieces by Mozart, Brahms and Vivaldi will be performed as well
That the recital features a wide range of styles and genres is by design, a way to welcome the new DCS season and to include as many performers as possible, Mack Berven said.
“I chose it with that exact idea. How wide of a variety, how much variety can we offer as a ‘hello’ to our Choral Society season. And we wanted to include some instrumentalists who are our friends and who sing with us or have played with us – all of them have a connection to the Choral Society in one way or another,” she said. “I like to think of this opening concert as a celebration of our community or our family of musicians.”
katie@durangoherald.com
