Pilgrim Festival Chorus to Present EVENING AND MORNING in Plymouth

Pilgrim Festival Chorus will present its spring concert program, “Evening and Morning – Music to Lighten Our Darkness,” on Saturday, May 9 at 7:30 pm, and Sunday, May 10 at 4 pm, at The Church of the Pilgrimage, 8 Town Square, Plymouth. The chorus is led by Artistic Directors William B. Richter, conductor, and Elizabeth Chapman Reilly, organ.

Gjeilo's “Sunrise Mass,” composed in 2007, is widely regarded as one of the most compelling contemporary choral works. The Norwegian composer describes it as “a musical journey evolving from transparent and spacey to earthy and warm… from nebulous and pristine, through more emotional landscapes, to ultimately solid groundedness,” offering a metaphor for both human development and spiritual awakening. Mozart's “Solemn Vespers,” written in 1780 as his final composition for Salzburg Cathedral, represents some of the composer's best sacred writing. Intended for evening services, the work includes five psalms and the Magnificat canticle, showcasing Mozart's mastery of choral and orchestral texture in a way that's very different from Gjeilo's work.

Both compositions will be performed with a string orchestra, and the Mozart piece will also be accompanied by the church's three-manual Roche pipe organ. A professional quartet of professional soloists will join the chorus for the concert.

Pilgrim Festival Chorus (PFC) is an 80+ member, welcoming community choral ensemble comprised of experienced vocalists from more than 20 South Shore communities. Now in its 26th season, the chorus is dedicated to presenting diverse choral works that educate, enrich, and engage both its members and its audiences.

PFC is participating in the Card to Culture Program, a collaboration between Mass Cultural Council and the Department of Transitional Assistance, the Women, Infants & Children (WIC) Nutrition Program, and the Massachusetts Health Connector, by broadening accessibility to cultural programming. This program is supported in part by a grant from Plymouth Cultural Council, a local agency supported by Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.