Author Archives: RiverChor

RiverChor Prepares for Spring Concert

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!

Join RiverChor for Christmas

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!

Messiah Rehearsals Begin….

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.

Join us for Rutter’s Requiem, and more!

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!

RiverChor’s Fall Concert

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.

RiverChor Announces Auditions and Concert Dates for 2012-13 Season

Auditions for all sections of RiverChor will be held Sunday, September 9, from 1-3pm in the sanctuary of Zion Lutheran Church, 439 Third Ave South, Clinton, Iowa.  Auditions will last about 10 minutes, and it is not necessary to have anything prepared.  An alternative audition can be arranged if necessary, please contact our director, Rob Engelson.  Rehearsals begin Monday, September 10.

RiverChor’s fall concert will feature John Rutter’s Requiem, and will take place Sunday, October 28, 2pm, Zion.   The full Messiah with orchestra will be performed on December 2, time tba, Zion.  The choir will take part in the Clinton Symphony’s Winter Pops concert on December 8, 7:30pm at Clinton High.  Our spring concert will be Sunday, April 14, 2pm Zion.

We hope you can join us this season!

RiverChor in concert, April 15

Finish your taxes early so you can come out and enjoy RiverChor’s spring concert!  It will be Sunday, April 15th, at 2:00pm in Zion Lutheran Church of Clinton, Iowa.  We will sing our usual delightful mix of styles, and will be joined by a variety of instruments.   Here is our tentative program:

Ubi Caritas ……………………… Ola Gjeilo

Lass Dich Nur Nichts Nicht Dauren (Let Nothing Ever Grieve Thee) …….. Johannes Brahms

Te Deum ………………………. Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdi

Gloria …………………….  Antonio Vivaldi

At Last  …….. featuring our Women

Manly Men …….. featuring our own Manly Men

Aftonen (Evening) ……….. Hugo Alfven

Forever in Dala ……………. Hugo Alfven

A Maiden is in a Ring ……. Hugo Alfven

Camptown Races …………… Stephen Foster, arr. Jack Halloran

Shenandoah …………………… arr. Norman Luboff

Whoopee Ti Yi Yo ………….. arr. Norman Luboff

How Can I Keep from Singing …………… Taylor Davis

Abide with Me ………………. arr. Moses Hogan

Ezekiel Saw De Wheel …………… arr. William L. Dawson

 

Holiday Pops Concert – December 10

Please join the Clinton Symphony Orchestra and RiverChor for an evening of Holiday music at 7:30pm, Saturday, December 10, at Vernon Cook Theater in Clinton High School.  RiverChor will be presenting suite one of The Many Moods of Christmas by Robert Shaw, and will be joined by local high school students for several choruses of Handel’s Messiah, as well as the traditional carol sing-a-long.  For complete program and ticket information, please see Clinton Symphony’s website.

Messiah Rehearsals Begin – Join Us!

You are cordially invited to participate in a tradition that has been ongoing  since 1931 in Clinton, Iowa – the annual performance of Handel’s “Messiah”.  This is year two of the cycle, which means we will perform all of the Christmas portion, plus selected other choruses.  Dr. Rob Engelson is the director, and Christine Holmer the pianist.

If you would like to sing, rehearsals start November 21, and are Monday evenings at 7pm (until about 7:45 or 8:00) in the choir room at Lyons Middle School.  You are welcome to bring your own score, or there will be copies to borrow.

Of course, no performance is complete without an audience!  Please put Sunday, December 18th, at 3:00pm in Zion Lutheran Church in Clinton on your calendar.  The concert is free.