This year, in 2022, the world will celebrate the 150th birthday of a towering figure in English choral music – Ralph Vaughan Williams. His compositions, which span the late 19th century to the mid-20th century, helped define a nationalistic English style in the early modern era. To honor such an important figure in western choral music, Opus One: Masterwork Chorus has planned a concert entitled “A Celebration of Vaughan Williams” on Sunday, May 22 at 4:00pm at St. John Baptist de la Salle Catholic Church, 42 Kerrick Rd, Shillington, PA. The event will also be accessible online from May 26 through June 12. This will be the culminating concert of Opus One’s 10th season.
Opus One will be making choral history!
This performance will include the American premiere of Vaughan Williams’ The Garden of Proserpine (1899). One of the composer’s first choral-orchestral works, The Garden of Proserpine is a 20-min secular concert piece based on text by Algernon Charles Swinburne from his controversial collection Poems and Ballads (1866). Swinburne’s poem details the tragic Eleusinian myth of Persephone and her transient existence between the realm of the gods and the underworld. Tired of life’s toil, the soul rejects the eternal paradise promised by Christianity and instead seeks… Only the sleep eternal, In an eternal night. (lines 95-96)
Other works on the program include Six Choral Songs to be Sung in Time of War, 5 Mystical Songs, The Voice Out of the Whirlwind, and several familiar hymn tunes.
For this concert event, the Opus One: Masterwork Chorus will be joined by the Choraliers (Conrad Weiser High School, under the direction of Sarah McGrory) and the Governors (Governor Mifflin High School, under the direction of Greg Hill). The chorus of about 80 singers will be accompanied by a professional orchestra and organ.
TICKETS
- Tickets for the in-person event (May 22) will be available for purchase at the door.
- Tickets for the online event (May 26 – June 12) will be available for purchase online.
About Opus One
“Together, we can make Reading sing!”
Opus One: Berks Chamber Choir was founded in 2012 as a non-profit 501(c)(3) and PA Charity based in the Reading area. The main mission of
Opus One has been to encourage participation and appreciation of the choral arts in our community. Opus One’s programs include three choirs,
masterclasses, and a monthly podcast entitled OCTAVO. Opus One’s three choirs [Berks Chamber Choir, ECHO, Masterwork Chorus] are OPUS ONE SEASON SPONSORS under the direction of Christopher Hoster, founder and executive direct0r.
For more information about Opus One, please visit our website: www.OpusOneChamberChoir.com.
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