Music Institute Chorale Welcomes International Guests March 14

Looking ahead to its 35th anniversary later this year, the Music Institute of Chicago Chorale, conducted by Daniel Wallenberg, welcomes guest musicians from around the world for its free virtual performance, How Can I Keep from Singing, which takes place Sunday, March 14 at 2 p.m.

Joining the Chorale are nearly 40 international singers, including members of the Coro del Conservatorio de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia and members of the Coro EXAUDI of Monteria, Colombia, along with singers from Argentina, England, France, Israel, and the U.S. Soloists include Music Institute Voice Department Chair Barbara Ann Martin, alto; voice faculty Rae-Myra Hilliard, soprano, and Leo Radosavlijevic, bass; Musikgarten faculty and Senior Director of Academic Operations Guinevere Grimstad, soprano; Chorale members Jeff Collins, tenor, Jonathan Dunmore, bass, and Lynn Vogl, on flute; guest tenor Stuart Bard; and clarinet faculty Barbara Drapcho.

Highlighting the program is a belated celebration of Beethoven's 250th birthday with a performance of his Choral Fantasy, Op. 80 for soloists, choir, and orchestra, joined by pianist Gregory Shifrin. The program also includes works by William Byrd, Morton Lauridsen, Robert Lowry, Felix Mendelssohn, Thomas Tallis, Giuseppe Verdi, and Harri Wessman, as well as traditional songs from around the world.

"Since the pandemic began, we have performed several virtual concerts," said Wallenberg. "We rehearsed on Zoom, singers recorded their individual parts, and we mixed the recordings in a studio to create a choir. It proved to be the best alternative to singing in person because it gave the singers the feeling they were still part of a musical community."

Wallenberg is especially excited to welcome members of the Coro del Conservatorio de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia, whose conductor, Elsa Gutierrez, worked with him when he was young and inspired him to become a choral conductor. "The silver lining of this terrible pandemic is that our Chorale is now accessible to anybody interested in singing with us regardless of where they live."

In fall 2020, the Chorale presented a virtual performance of Mozart's Grand Mass in C minor in an adaptation by Wallenberg for choir, piano, and woodwinds, welcoming members of Quintet Attacca. The 2020-21 season will conclude with a virtual performance of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana arranged for two pianos and percussion, which was scheduled last June at Nichols Concert Hall:

The Music Institute of Chicago Chorale performs its free virtual program How Can I Keep from Singing Sunday, March 14 at 2 p.m. CDT. RSVP at musicinst.org/march14-chorale by March 14 at 10 a.m. CDT. All programming is subject to change.

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