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.