The Willamette University Chamber Choir and Willamette Singers, under the direction of Wallace Long, will perform at 7 p.m. Jan. 11 at Bothell United Methodist Church, 18515 92nd Ave. N.E.
Choirs from Bothell High, under the direction of Sheri Erickson, and The Overlake School, under the direction of Erin Gabriel, will also perform in the concert. The concert will open with a vocal jazz performance by the Willamette Singers, followed by the local performance groups and the Willamette Chamber Choir. The concert is free and open to the public, although a goodwill donation is encouraged.
The performance will include a variety of sacred and secular works, both a cappella and accompanied. The chamber choir’s performance will include: “Omnes Gentes” for quadruple choir by Gabriele, “Frohlocket, ihr Völker auf Erden” for double choir by Mendelssohn and “There Will be Rest” by Frank Ticheli. The Willamette Singers will perform selections including: “Kiss from a Rose” by Seal, “Round Midnight” by Thelonius Monk, “Precious” by Esperanza Spalding and “Anthropology” by Charlie Parker.
The Willamette Chamber Choir is a 49-voice ensemble that performs throughout the Northwest. Archbishop Desmond Tutu invited the choir to perform in South Africa in 2004, and music from its South African tour is featured on its fifth CD, “Thula Sizwe: A Celebration of Hope.” The choir’s latest CD, “The New Moon,” is a compilation of recordings from 2006-2010 and was released in the fall of 2010.
The Willamette Singers is a 15-member vocal jazz ensemble. The singers’ 15th CD, “In the Winelight,” was released in the fall of 2011.
Both groups have recently performed at regional, national and international conventions of the American Choral Directors Association, the Music Educators National Conference, the Oregon Music Educators Association and the International Association of Jazz Educators.
Willamette Chamber Choir members Angela Boston, Colin Cushman, Vivian Gebben, Heidi Hall, Benny Kuo, Corey Parcham, Kirsten Ramsdell, Kirsten Ruddy and Haley Williamson from the greater Seattle area will be performing in the concert.
