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Columbia College Community Choir Performs Choral Masterpieces of the Romantic Era

The Columbia College Community Choir, under the musical direction of Columbia College professor John Carter, presents a new addition to their concert lineup: A Mid-Winter performance entitled “Choral Masterpieces of the Romantic Era.”  Performances for this first concert are Saturday, February 25 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday February 26 at 3:00 p.m. at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, Sonora.  The concert will include Shubert’s Mass in G and Brahms Liebeslieder Waltzes with piano duet and will feature the 50-voice chorus, a mix of soloists, ensembles and quartets with a 12 piece string orchestra. Pre-sale tickets are $10 each, $5 age 12 and under.  Tickets can be purchased at the door for $12 each.  Tickets are available at Sonora Music, The Mountain Bookshop, Manzanita Bookstore, and Murphys Music Co. or by calling (209) 586-5965.

The first half of the program from the Romantic Era (1820-1900) features, Franz Schubert’s Mass Number 2 in G Major. Composed in less than a week in 1815, at the fresh young age of eighteen, this intimate and lyrical creation included parts for a string orchestra and organ with vocal solos and choir.

From the intimate, ethereal Schubert, the concert’s second half moves to Johannes Brahms’ secular, romantic and lively dances in his Liebeslieder (“Lovesong”) Waltzes, OP. 52 and 65. In the spirit of the “House Concert”, the Waltzes will be performed by the full chorus, piano duet featuring Diane Day and Dorothy Woodford Arndt, and also by smaller ensembles and duets featuring some of the fine singers of chorus. Dancers, from Jim & Ilene Tassano Ballroom Dance, will waltz to five of the numbers. Featured dancers are, Jim and Ilene Tassano, Bonnie Brunk, Neil Mil, Becky Miller-Cripps, Jack O'Shea, Denise and Mike Kifune, and Alicia Johnson.

Set to the love poems of George Friedrich Daumer’s “Polydora” folk poems, these emotional and lively waltzes reflect influences from Austrian Landler and Northern German Waltzes. The first set of waltzes proved so popular, he composed a second set of waltzes. Written for “piano duet with voices ad libitum”, Brahms suggested the importance of the piano duet part. But the voice parts, with their wonderful melodic lines and expressive texts have become just as important as the piano parts making the Waltzes one of mainstays of the Romantic Era. Reminiscent of parlor concerts of the day, where guests gathered about the piano, Brahms saw these pieces as appropriate for the informal “House Concert” to be performed in homes and in concert halls.

As a special treat, additional “parlor music” will include Romantic period art songs performed by soloists, Linda Carter, Marguerite Close and Lora Mills. The audience will also join in with an audience sing along in pieces from the era that are still sung today, including Auld Lang Syne and O Susannah.

St. Matthew’s was specifically chosen as its acoustics will beautifully lift Schubert’s mass to ethereal heights and inundate the audience with the joy and exuberance of Brahms waltzes.

Conductor John Carter has led the Columbia Community Chorus since 1984 when he began teaching full-time at Columbia College.  In addition to his work with the Chorus, John has conducted a number of other groups including the Modesto Masterworks Chorus, the Modesto Symphony Chorus, church, school and community groups of all ages.  He has been active on the board of the American Choral Directors Association and the Sonora Bach Festival.  He holds music degrees from Chapman University and Westminster Choir College and a Certificate in the Professional Studies Program in Vocal Performance from Temple University.

Community chorus piano accompanist, Diane Day will be joined in the Brahms Waltzes by Dorothy Woodford-Arndt.  Diane Day has lived in the Murphy’s, California area for 24 years and is actively involved in accompanying, teaching, and performing with local groups.  She earned her Bachelor of Music in piano performance from Biola University. She has enjoyed performing home concerts with the Canyon Quartet and for the past several years, she has also been an accompanist for vocal majors at California State University Stanislaus.  Dorothy Woodford has accompanied the Community Chorus since the fall of 1996.  She started accompanying while still in junior high, graduated from UC Berkeley and has continued her accompanying career with Sierra Repertory Theater, Sierra Bible Church and for several years with the Sonora Bach Festival.  She is frequently featured in the St. James Concert Series and in an all-Mozart program.  She has also performed at the Church of Manila in the Philippines.

Community Chorus Members come from various parts of the Central Sierra including Sonora, Groveland, Murphys, Arnold, Copperopolis, Angels Camp, Jamestown, and Twain Harte. The Chorus performs music of different styles and eras including major choral masterworks and shorter choral compositions.  In addition to preparing winter and spring concerts, the chorus also sponsors “A Festival of Singing” with mother lode area high school and college choirs.  The group also takes its music on the road by presenting concerts for retirement communities in Tuolumne and Calaveras Counties.  The chorus is open to interested community members who enjoy singing and wish to dedicate the time to quality choral music and performances.

Later this spring, the chorus will be participating in the first Mother Lode Community Chorus Festival Friday, March 9 at 7:00 at Calvary Chapel in Sonora featuring Community choruses from the Central Sierra Region including Mariposa, Tuolumne, and Calaveras counties. 

Members of the Chorus are; Pink Baker, Diane Brandt, Jim Brandt, Barbara Broad, Suzanne Burens, LeRoy Bushart, Linda Carter, Melina Cherling, Chorus Manager, Marguerite Close, Marilyn Darwin, June Diggle, Pirkko Dyer, Arielle Earl, Donna Elias, Patti Emerine, Diana Eppler, Georgeanna Evans, Barbara Farkas, Gary Gober, Bev Gulseth, Gloria Hanvelt, Polly Hodnick, Abigail Howard, Jackson Israel, Tom Jamieson, Renorise Krause, John Kretchman, Carole Maxson, Chuck Maxson, Lora Mills, Craig Mineweaser, Dave Moreno, Esau Munos, Dillon Nelson, Rose Rodriguez, Deb Romberger, Carl Rudolph, Kathy Rudolph, Janet Russell, Marie Schafle, Joyce Schoettgen, Julie Sieben, Stephanie Simmonds, Isaiah Spratt, Joleen Spratt, Pam Stout, Janet Telford, Meleani Wheeler, Mary Wisehart, Diane Wright.

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Coni M. Chavez
 Executive Assistant to the President
 Columbia College
 11600 Columbia College Drive
 Sonora, CA 95370
 (209) 588-5115 • (209) 588-5161 fax
 chavezc@yosemite.edu