Posted 1:08 p.m. Monday, May 2, 2016
UWL Choral Union along with local musicians from the La Crosse Symphony Orchestra and the UWL Symphony Orchestra will perform May 8.
When people think of the liturgical term “mass,” they usually associate it with parts of a church service either sung every Sunday or parts that are exclusive to a particular Feast Day.
The two masses to be performed by the UWL Choral Union this month — Franz Joseph Haydn’s “Missa Cellensis,” and Leonard Bernstein’s “MASS” — were not necessarily composed to be performed by a church choir. They were written to show each composer’s affinity for the musical form and each man’s idea of how these ancient lyrics should sound in new musical settings.
The UWL Choral Union, the student-community symphony chorus, will perform the two masses at 4 p.m. Sunday, May 8, at Wesley United Methodist Church, 721 King St., La Crosse.
The performance will include guest soloists: Michael Gruber, tenor; Carolyn Cavadini, soprano; Therese Walth, mezzo; and Hans Laping, bass.
[caption id="attachment_45907" align="alignright" width="80"]
Michael Gruber[/caption]
Gruber has an extraordinary singing background, including credits as an original Broadway cast member in “CATS,” “Miss Saigon,” “Swing!” and the final company of “A Chorus Line.” Gruber will sing the tenor solos in the Haydn mass and the part of the “celebrant” in the Bernstein mass.
Cavadini is a recent UWL Music Department graduate who has completed a doctorate of music arts opera performance degree at the University of Minnesota. Her recent roles include Suzy (“La Rondine”), Sylviane (“The Merry Widow”), Susannah (“Susannah”), Agatha (“Der Freischütz”) and Alcina (“Alcina’s Island”).
Also a recent UWL music graduate, Walth is crafting a successful musical theatre career on stages such as the Arlo Guthrie Theatre and the Chanhassen Dinner Theatre with character roles such as Tracy Turnblad (“Hairspray”), Ursala Merkle (“Bye, Bye Birdie”), Sister Mary Patrick (“Sister Act”), Ethel Toffelmeyer (“Music Man”) and Ruth (“The Pirates of Penzance”).
The UWL Choral Union is conducted by Professor Gary Kent Walth, director of choral music studies at UWL. Alethia Kenworthy-Willoquette is the choir’s rehearsal accompanist and will play organ and piano during the performance.
Local musicians from the La Crosse Symphony Orchestra and the UWL Symphony Orchestra will play the Haydn “Missa Cellensis.” David Phipps will serve as the orchestra’s concertmaster. UWL music faculty Tammy Fisher, Karyn Quinn, Jonathan Borja, J. Thomas Seddon and Derek Clark will also participate in the concert.
Suggested ticket donations are $5 for students, $8 for senior citizens and $10 for others. There will be no ticket reservations, although tickets may be purchased through Choral Union members. Tickets will be available at the door starting at 3 p.m. on the day of the concert.
If you go—
Who: UW-La Crosse Choral Union
What: Concert
When: 4 p.m. Sunday, May 8
Where: Wesley United Methodist Church, 721 King St., La Crosse
Admission: $5 for students, $8 for senior citizens and $10 for others. Get tickets in advance from Choral Union members, or buy them at the door beginning at 3 p.m.
Michael Gruber[/caption]
Gruber has an extraordinary singing background, including credits as an original Broadway cast member in “CATS,” “Miss Saigon,” “Swing!” and the final company of “A Chorus Line.” Gruber will sing the tenor solos in the Haydn mass and the part of the “celebrant” in the Bernstein mass.
Cavadini is a recent UWL Music Department graduate who has completed a doctorate of music arts opera performance degree at the University of Minnesota. Her recent roles include Suzy (“La Rondine”), Sylviane (“The Merry Widow”), Susannah (“Susannah”), Agatha (“Der Freischütz”) and Alcina (“Alcina’s Island”).
Also a recent UWL music graduate, Walth is crafting a successful musical theatre career on stages such as the Arlo Guthrie Theatre and the Chanhassen Dinner Theatre with character roles such as Tracy Turnblad (“Hairspray”), Ursala Merkle (“Bye, Bye Birdie”), Sister Mary Patrick (“Sister Act”), Ethel Toffelmeyer (“Music Man”) and Ruth (“The Pirates of Penzance”).
The UWL Choral Union is conducted by Professor Gary Kent Walth, director of choral music studies at UWL. Alethia Kenworthy-Willoquette is the choir’s rehearsal accompanist and will play organ and piano during the performance.
Local musicians from the La Crosse Symphony Orchestra and the UWL Symphony Orchestra will play the Haydn “Missa Cellensis.” David Phipps will serve as the orchestra’s concertmaster. UWL music faculty Tammy Fisher, Karyn Quinn, Jonathan Borja, J. Thomas Seddon and Derek Clark will also participate in the concert.
Suggested ticket donations are $5 for students, $8 for senior citizens and $10 for others. There will be no ticket reservations, although tickets may be purchased through Choral Union members. Tickets will be available at the door starting at 3 p.m. on the day of the concert.
If you go—
Who: UW-La Crosse Choral Union
What: Concert
When: 4 p.m. Sunday, May 8
Where: Wesley United Methodist Church, 721 King St., La Crosse
Admission: $5 for students, $8 for senior citizens and $10 for others. Get tickets in advance from Choral Union members, or buy them at the door beginning at 3 p.m.