AMERICAN SONGBOOK Concert to be Presented by La Verne Church of the Brethren Sanctuary Choir in June

AMERICAN SONGBOOK, a choir concert by the La Verne Church of the Brethren Sanctuary Choir will be performed Sunday, June 4 at 4 p.m. and Wednesday, June 7 at 7:00 p.m. in the sanctuary at 2425 'E' Street, La Verne, California. There is no admission charge, but audience members are asked to make a freewill offering. All donations, as well as sponsorships, are gratefully appreciated.

These two performances serve as the send-off for the choir's trip to Derry-Londonderry, Northern Ireland, where they will attend the American Songbook Festival, June 19-24, a celebration of the music of Mr. Shawn Kirchner. The festival's theme is based on the poem, "I Will Arise and Go" by Irish poet William B. Yeats. Mr. Kirchner used this poem to compose a score by the same name. This work, and a number of others by Mr. Kirchner will be performed. LVCoB's resident composer will also provide piano accompaniment at both performances. Following the festival the choir will circumnavigate the Emerald Isle with performances at Drumcliff Church (home of Yeat's grave), Kylemore Abbey and St. Nicholas Collegiate Church in Galway, St. Mary's Cathedral in Killarney, and end the tour at Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin.

Shawn Kirchner, pianist, organist, tenor with the Los Angeles Master Chorale as well as their composer-in-residence from 2012 to 2015, is a celebrated local choral music composer. He has written many well-known and beloved works such as Wana Baraka, the psalm cycle Songs of Ascent, the triptych Heavenly Home: Three American Songs - praised by the LA Times as "arranged with mastery", and the remarkable American folk Christmas oratorio, Light of Hope Returning, presented to packed houses across the country.

The choir's long-time director, Dr. Niké St. Clair will conduct this impressive assembly. A mainstay of the Los Angeles Master Chorale, Dr. St. Clair tours with LAMC's dramatic productions of Lagrimé di San Pietro and Music to Accompany a Departure, both under the direction of Peter Sellars. A frequent soloist for a large number of Southern California professional choral groups, Dr. St. Clair also directs choirs at Cal Poly Pomona and is a frequently requested session singer for feature film scores.

There is no admission charge, but audience members are asked to make a freewill offering. All donations, as well as sponsorships, are gratefully appreciated. (See how to become an LVCoB Sanctuary Choir sponsor at- https://ericmdavis.com/LVCOBchoirSupport.html)

For more information, call the church office at (909) 593-1364.

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