The Concert Choir of Denison University will conclude its 110th season with a concert titled "A Beethoven Bash," devoted to three works by the German composer who bridged the classical and romantic eras at 7:30 p.m., Sunday (April 13) in Swasey Chapel. Under the leadership of its retiring director, William Osborne, the choir will be assisted by its own orchestra and joined by a quartet of visiting soloists from Ohio State University. The concert is free and open to the public.

The concert will begin with theOverture to Egmont, opus 84, a dramatic preface to the incidental music written for a production of the play by Goethe in 1810. This will be followed byCalm Sea and Prosperous Voyage, opus 112, a "cantata" for choral voices and orchestra completed in 1815 that combines two poems of Goethe and was dedicated to the poet. The performance will conclude with theMass in C, opus 86, a vivid setting of the Ordinary of the Latin Mass in the manner of Mozart and Haydn written during 1807.

Featured as soloists are soprano Amanda Heaston, mezzo-soprano Carolyn Redman, tenor James Morera, and baritone Greg Frens. Heaston, who will complete her master's degree this spring, earned her undergraduate degree at Brigham Young University, and has had considerable experience in both opera and oratorio in Utah. Redman, a resident of Newark, is a doctoral candidate in vocal performance. A veteran of several earlier appearances with The Concert Choir, she has appeared with a variety of opera companies, including the Des Moines Metro Opera, Opera/Columbus, Columbus Light Opera, Cincinnati Opera and the Lyric Opera of Cleveland. She also serves as an adjunct instructor of voice at Kenyon College. Morera earned degrees from the Oberlin Conservatory and Manhattan School of Music. He will undertake the role of Rodolfo in Puccini's "La Boheme" with the Riunini Opera this coming summer. Frens is pursuing a master's degree in voice, having earned his undergraduate degree from Hope College. With experience in both opera and oratorio, he was recently a finalist in the Palm Beach Opera International Young Artist Competition.

The Concert Choir is composed of both Denison students and adult singers from the Denison and surrounding communities, with a tradition of presenting major works with orchestra dating back to 1893. Distinguished Professor of Fine Arts Osborne, who serves as director of choral organizations and as the University organist, will be making his final appearance as conductor of the Concert Choir before retiring from the Denison faculty this summer.

About Denison:

Denison University, founded in 1831, is an independent, residential liberal arts institution located in Granville, Ohio. A highly selective college enrolling 2,100 full-time undergraduate students from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries, Denison is a place where innovative faculty and motivated students collaborate in rigorous scholarship, civic engagement and the cultivation of independent thinking.

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