RiverChor Rings in the Season

Posted on December 7, 2013 by admin

RiverChor will be participating in two upcoming performances.  The first will be our annual appearance with the Clinton Symphony Orchestra.  We will be performing the first set of the Alfred Burt Carols.  ”These delightful carols are the result of a tradition begun by the Reverend Bates G. Burt, his composer son, Alfred, and friend-of-the-family Wihla Hutson; for many years these three collaborated on the creation of original carols, which were then sent to friends as Christmas cards.” (via Shawnee Press)

Additionally, the choir will be performing with the symphony on “A Christmas Festival” by Leroy Anderson; “Jesus bleibet meine Fruede” (Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring) by J.S. Bach; and concluding with choruses from Handel’s “Messiah”.  This performance will be at Clinton High School’s Vernon Cook Theater at 7:30 pm on December 14.  Tickets are $15 for adults, $5 for students, children through the 8th grade are free.  Further details of the concert are available on the Clinton Symphony’s website: http://www.clintonsymphony.org/

The annual Clinton performance of Handel’s “Messiah” will take place on December 15th, at 3 pm at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 715 S. Third Street.  This is year one of the cycle, which is the Sing-a-long.  All are welcome to sing, or to listen.  Participants are welcome to bring their own score, however there will be scores available.  We hope you’ll join us for this tradition that began in 1931, and help ring in the season.

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RiverChor begins 10th Season

Posted on November 8, 2013 by admin

RiverChor, the Gateway Area's Community Chorus, based in Clinton, Iowa

Press Release – From its beginning as a replacement concert on Zion Lutheran Church’s concert series in April 2004, RiverChor has enjoyed ten years of quality music making in the Clinton area.

That tradition continues when the choir presents its fall concert Sunday, November 10 at 2 p.m. at Zion Lutheran Church.  The concert is free and the public is cordially invited; donation plate will be available for contributions.

“Our 10th season will be, in part, one of reflection and retrospection,” Rob Engelson, RiverChor conductor, said.  ”We’ve performed a lot of music since our first appearance on April 25, 2004, and we’re going to bring some of it back on this year’s concert.”

One of the works on Sunday’s concert will be Gabriel Faure’s “Requiem”, which the choir performed on its November 2004 concert.  In his setting of liturgical texts from the Catholic Mass for the Dead, Faure writes music of a contemplative, consoling nature that is meant to comfort those who mourn the dead.  The work is scored for chorus, soprano and baritone soloists, and organ, which will be played by Chris Holmer, accompanist for the choir.

The second half of the concert will feature an interesting variety of works including “Domine, Ad Adjuvandum Me Festina” by Martini, Gustav Holst’s “Short Festival Te Deum”, and folk songs and spirituals from the United States, Canada, and Nigeria.  One of the spiritual, Paul Eddington Wright’s arrangement of “My Lord, What a Morning,” is another ‘retro’ work that was performed on the choir’s first two concerts back in 2004.

“For our spring concert,” Engelson said, “we plan to recreate a good portion of that April 2004 program.  Hopefully, after ten years, we’ll be able to bring a fresh perspective to those important pieces in our history.”

Members of RiverChor include high school students to retirees and come from several communities in Iowa and Illinois.  The choir performs regularly with the Clinton Symphony Orchestra, and it will again be featured on the orchestra’s holiday concert on December 14th.

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Fall 2013 Concert

Posted on October 14, 2013 by admin

We invite you to join us for our fall concert, which will be Sunday, November 10, at 2pm in Zion Lutheran Church.  The concert is free.

Repertoire will be:

Requiem ……… Gabriel Faure

Domine, Ad Adjuvandum Me Festina …….. Il Padre G. B. Martini

Short Festival Te Deum ……….. Gustav Holst

Feller From Fortune ………. arr. Harry Somers

My Lord, What a Morning ……… arr. Paul L. Wright

Keresimesi Qdun De O …….. arr. Wendell Whalum

Ezekiel Saw De Wheel …… arr. William Dawson

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It’s Audition Time!!

Posted on August 31, 2013 by admin

Have you been interested in joining RiverChor?  Now is your chance!

Auditions will be held:

Sunday, September 8th , 2013

1-3 P.M.

Zion Lutheran Church, Clinton, Iowa

It is not necessary to prepare anything, and the audition will last 10-15 minutes.  Rehearsals will start Monday, September 9th.

The 2013-2014 season will mark RiverChor’s tenth season of music in the Gateway area.  The fall concert features Faure’s Requiem,  last performed in Clinton on our first fall concert in 2004.

The choir will take part in the Clinton Symphony Holiday Pops concert, and look forward to their 10th Anniversary celebration concert in the spring of 2014.

We hope you will join us this season, whether in the choir or in the audience!

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RiverChor Concert this Sunday at Zion

Posted on April 27, 2013 by admin

Reprinted from The Clinton Herald

RiverChor, Clinton’s Community Choir, will present its spring concert 2 p.m. Sunday (April 28) at Zion Lutheran Church, 439 Third Ave. South.

The concert, titled “Friends & Foster x 4″, will feature some of the area’s best instrumentalists accompanying the choir, as well as a set of songs by Stephen Foster, America’s foremost song composer of the 19th century.

“The Clinton area is blessed to have many talented musician”, Rob Engelson, RiverChor conductor, said, “and we like to feature as many of them as we can on our concerts.”

Guest musicians for the concert include violinist Kristen Jones, oboist Nicole Kotman, clarinetist Emily Bressler, and cellist Cyrus Kolah.

The set of Stephen Foster pieces includes some of his most familiar melodies, including “Beautiful Dreamer” and “My Old Kentucky Home”.

“We believe that Foster’s music is unjustly neglected,” Engelson said, “and we’re happy to be performing some beautiful arrangements of his songs.”

The concert will open with two songs of praise, Mozart’s “Regina Coeli” (Queen of Heaven) and F. Melius Christiansen’s powerful anthem, “Praise to the Lord”.  Closing the concert will be a medley from “Les Miserables”.

RiverChor was established in February 2004, and will be celebrating its 10th anniversary next spring.  The choir, which draws singers from communities in Iowa and Illinois, presents concerts every fall and spring, comprises the core group for Clinton’s annual Messiah performances, and has been featured on several concerts with the Clinton Symphony Orchestra; including its annual Holiday Concert each December.

The concert is free, and the public is cordially invited.

RiverChor Logo

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RiverChor Prepares for Spring Concert

Posted on January 28, 2013 by admin

After a well deserved Holiday break, RiverChor is in rehearsal for their spring concert.  The date is Sunday, April 28; which is a change from the previously announced date.

The concert will be full of old friends, and few new favorites:

Regina Coeli, KV 276 ……… Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Praise to the Lord ……… arr. F. Melius Christiansen

In Remembrance ……….. Jeffery L. Ames

How Can I Keep from Singing ……… Taylor Davis

The Turtle Dove ………… arr. John Purifoy

Hirtenchor ……………… Franz Schubert

Beautiful Dreamer ………. Stephen Foster (arr. Parker & Shaw)

My Old Kentucky Home ……. Foster (arr. Moore)

Hard Times Come Again No More ……….. Foster (arr. Bellefeuille)

Nelly Bly ……………….. Foster (arr. Fissinger)

Medley from Les Miserables …… arr. Ed Lojeski

Saints Bound for Heaven ………. arr. Shaw, Parker

 

We hope you will mark your calendar for April 28th, and join us for a lovely afternoon of choral music!

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Join RiverChor for Christmas

Posted on November 13, 2012 by admin

RiverChor has two upcoming performances to ring in your holiday season.

Handel’s Messiah will be performed on Sunday, December 2, 3 p.m., at Zion Lutheran Church.  A long standing tradition in the Clinton area, community members and the Ashford University Choir will join RiverChor in presenting the majority of the work with orchestra.

Saturday, December 8, will bring the Holiday Pops concert with the Clinton Symphony Orchestra.  RiverChor will be performing Christmas Day by Gustav Holst, A Christmas Festival and Sleigh Ride by LeRoy Anderson, three choruses from Handel’s Messiah, and will be leading the audience in a carol sing-along.  The performance begins at 7:30 pm in Clinton High School’s Vernon Cook Theater.  You may click the Clinton Symphony link above for ticket information.

We hope you can join us for these events, and have a joyous Holiday!

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Messiah Rehearsals Begin….

Posted on November 1, 2012 by admin

It is time to start rehearsals for Messiah, a tradition that has graced the Clinton area for over 75 years.  Anyone in the Gateway area is invited to sing.  This is year 3 of the cycle, so the bulk of Handel’s work will be performed with orchestra.

Rehearsals are on Monday evenings from 7-8pm in the Great Hall of First Presbyterian Church, 400 5th Ave South, Clinton, IA.  Enter through the church office door to the rear of the church and ascend to the upper level via stairs or elevator.  Bring your own score, or there are scores available to borrow.

Handel’s Messiah will be performed on Sunday, December 2, time TBA (afternoon), at Zion Lutheran Church.

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Join us for Rutter’s Requiem, and more!

Posted on October 28, 2012 by admin

We hope you will be able to join us this Sunday, October 27.  We will be performing in the sanctuary of Zion Lutheran Church of Clinton, at 2pm.

We will open the concert with John Rutter’s Requiem. We will be joined by several talented local instrumentalists, and take advantage of the organ in the church.

The second half of our concert will be RiverChor’s typical delightful mix of music from sublime to silly.  We’ll paint a sunset, go down to the river, tell the tale of a talking scarecrow, and take you to the wild west.

If you’d like to read more, the Clinton Herald printed a nice article in Wednesday’s paper.  It may be read here. Hope to see you there!

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RiverChor’s Fall Concert

Posted on October 8, 2012 by admin

RiverChor will present a fall choir concert on Sunday, October 28 at 2pm in Zion Lutheran Church, Clinton, Iowa.  Musical selections are:

Song of Triumph; Dale Grotenhuis

Jam Sol Recedit (Now Sinks the Sun); Horatio W. Parker

Down to the River to Pray; Mack Wilberg

The Terrible Tale of Tom Gilligan; John Rutter

When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d; Ethan McGrath, text: Walt Whitman

Old West Medley; arr.  Mark Hayes

Requiem; John Rutter

We will be joined on the Rutter Requiem by a small orchestra.  We hope you can join us for this beautiful concert.

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