McGRATHPR.com – Pilgrim Festival Chorus (PFC), a premier southeastern Massachusetts choral ensemble, presents its spring concert program, “Evening and Morning – Music to Lighten Our Darkness,” on Saturday, May 9, at 7:30 pm, and Sunday, May 10 at 4 pm, at The Church of the Pilgrimage, 8 Town Square, Plymouth. The chorus is led by Artistic Directors William B. Richter, conductor, and Elizabeth Chapman Reilly, organ.
“Evening and Morning” explores themes of illumination and transformation through two works: “Sunrise Mass” by Ola Gjeilo and “Vesperae solennes de confessore” (Solemn Vespers) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
“These works contrast so wonderfully in style,” muses co-director Elizabeth Chapman Reilly. “Mozart, despite the restrictions of his archbishop, penned music exuberant and sublime. Gjeilo, using traditional mass text in sonically unusual ways, transports us from cold and distant outer space to warm and intimate Earth.”
Gjeilo’s “Sunrise Mass,” composed in 2007, is widely regarded as one of the most compelling contemporary choral works. The Norwegian composer describes it as “a musical journey evolving from transparent and spacey to earthy and warm… from nebulous and pristine, through more emotional landscapes, to ultimately solid groundedness,” offering a metaphor for both human development and spiritual awakening. Mozart’s “Solemn Vespers,” written in 1780 as his final composition for Salzburg Cathedral, represents some of the composer’s best sacred writing. Intended for evening services, the work includes five psalms and the Magnificat canticle, showcasing Mozart’s mastery of choral and orchestral texture in a way that’s very different from Gjeilo’s work.
Both compositions will be performed with a string orchestra, and the Mozart piece will also be accompanied by the church’s three-manual Roche pipe organ. A professional quartet of professional soloists will join the chorus for the concert.
Pilgrim Festival Chorus (PFC) is an 80+ member, welcoming community choral ensemble comprised of experienced vocalists from more than 20 South Shore communities. Now in its 26th season, the chorus is dedicated to presenting diverse choral works that educate, enrich, and engage both its members and its audiences.
PFC is pleased to participate in the Card to Culture Program, a collaboration between Mass Cultural Council and the Department of Transitional Assistance, the Women, Infants & Children (WIC) Nutrition Program, and the Massachusetts Health Connector, by broadening accessibility to cultural programming. This program is supported in part by a grant from Plymouth Cultural Council, a local agency supported by Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
Tickets for “Evening and Morning” are $25 general admission and $20 for seniors and students over 18. Card to Culture attendees and children ages 18 and under are admitted for free. Tickets are available at pilgrimfestivalchorus.org/tickets, and at the door, subject to availability.
For more information, visit pilgrimfestivalchorus.org. Follow Pilgrim Festival Chorus on Facebook and Instagram.
About Pilgrim Festival Chorus
Pilgrim Festival Chorus is a volunteer, nonprofit choral ensemble dedicated to presenting diverse choral works that educate, enrich, and engage both its members and its audiences. Pilgrim Festival Chorus is supported, in part, by grants from Mass Cultural Council, a state agency, and its local cultural councils in Middleborough, Plymouth, and Scituate. PFC performances are produced in part by cooperation with See Plymouth and Plymouth County Commissioners. For more information, visit pilgrimfestivalchorus.org. Follow Pilgrim Festival Chorus on Facebook and Instagram.
