The Denison University Orchestra, under the direction of Andrew Glendening, and the Denison Chamber Singers, conducted by Stephen Caracciolo, join hands for their first performances of the season at 8 p.m., Saturday (Oct. 25) in Swasey Chapel. Admission is free and open to the public.

The concert will begin with a 20th century orchestral work by American composer Virgil Thompson. His music for Pare Lorentz's documentary filmThe Plow that Broke the Plains(1936) was a milestone in American composition. The piece shares many characteristics of Copland's ballet suites of the late 30s and 40s, namely in its use of cowboy songs, western folk tunes, and pentatonic melodies. The score, with its rich orchestration and expressive content, would also serve as a model for many other 20th century film composers. A film created by Mike Berlin, a senior cinema major at Denison, and influenced by Pare Lorentz's original work, will accompany Denison's performance of Thompson's work.

The second half of the concert features exuberant choral-orchestral masterworks by George Frederic Handel, the celebrated composer of 18th century London. The Denison Chamber Singers, Denison's select vocal ensemble of 24 singers, will perform "My heart is inditing," one of four anthems from Handel's set commissioned for the coronation of George II of England. The orchestra will accompany the Denison Chamber Singers on this and on the concert's final work, two well-known choruses from Handel's oratorioJudas Maccabaeus, "See, the conqu'ring hero comes," and "Sing Unto God." The Denison Chamber Singers is a merger of two chamber choirs that have performed at Denison in previous years -- the Denison Singers, under the previous direction of retired professor Bill Osborne, and the Collegium Musicum, formerly directed by Christine Mortine and Stephen Caracciolo. The Chamber Singers were selected in competitive auditions and includes singers from both former choirs and several first-year students.

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.

For press inquiries:

Name

Barbara Stambaugh

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Director, Media Relations

Primary Email

stambaughb@denison.edu

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(740) 587-8575