University Singers, Oratorio Society to Perform with Bangor Symphony
Contacts: Dennis Cox (207) 581-1245 or dennis.cox@umit.maine.edu; Ludlow Hallman (207) 581-1249 or ludlow.hallman@umit.maine.edu; David Whitehill (207) 942-5555 ext. 1 or david@bangorsymphony.org
Two University of Maine School of Performing Arts ensembles will perform Sunday, April 10, with the Bangor Symphony Orchestra and Grammy Award-winning conductor Lucas Richman.
More than 130 members of the University of Maine Singers and Oratorio Society will perform choral works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Anton Bruckner, and Richman, who is also a composer.
The concert will begin at 3 p.m. at UMaine’s Collins Center for the Arts.
The chorale program includes Bruckner’s Psalm 150, Bach’s Christ Lag in Todesbanden, BWV 4, and Richman’s “In the Day When I Cried Out,” which is based on the Psalms of David.
Richman, who is in his first year as the music director for the Bangor Symphony, won a Grammy Award in February for conducting the album “Calling All Dawns” by composer Christopher Tin. “Calling All Dawns” was named Best Classical Crossover Album. The song “Baba Yetu,” which is a track on the album, also won a Grammy. “Baba Yetu” is a Swahili version of the Lord’s Prayer and is best known as the theme music for the video game “Civilization IV.”
The rest of the program includes Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 5 (Reformation) and Richman’s arrangement for string orchestra of “O Filie Israhel,” a work by 12th century composer Hildegard von Bingen.
The University of Maine Singers is a select choir whose members come from all disciplines across campus, nearly half of which are from areas outside music. Under the direction of Dennis Cox, Singers performs multiple concerts on campus throughout the academic year, tour New England for one week each spring, and perform abroad every four years. Auditions are open to any student and are held at the start of every fall semester.
The Oratorio Society, which is directed by Ludlow Hallman, is a mixed choral ensemble comprised of members of the community and university students who perform large choral-orchestral masterworks. No auditions are required.
“We have a great tradition of working with the University of Maine Singers and Oratorio Society,” said David Whitehill, executive director of the Bangor Symphony. “Our new music director is particularly excited about the opportunity to work with the UMaine groups.”
For more information about the UMaine ensembles, contact Dennis Cox, director of the University Singers, or Ludlow Hallman, director of the Oratorio Society. For more information about Sunday’s concert, contact David Whitehill, executive director of the Bangor Symphony Orchestra, at (207) 942-5555, ext. 1 or david@bangorsymphony.org.