Sonoran Desert Chorale Announces To Everything There Is A Season

The Sonoran Desert Chorale announces the first concert of their 24th season. The concert, titled To Everything There Is a Season, reflects the gifts of all the seasons of life. Pete Seeger's immortal folk ballad, Turn, Turn, Turn is the perfect framework for this first concert. It brings audiences the works of contemporary composers like Ola Gjeilo, Jake Runestad, and Kim André Arneson whose music contemplates loss and life's storms as well as evoking moments of joy and peace. Performances of To Everything There Is a Season will take place Saturday, October 7, 2017 at 7:30 P.M. at First United Methodist Church, 15 E. First Avenue, Mesa and Sunday, October 8, 2017 at 3:00 P.M. at La Casa De Cristo Lutheran Church, 6300 E. Bell Road, Scottsdale. Season and single performance tickets are now on sale.

Tickets may be purchased online at SonoranDesertChorale.org or by calling 480-305-4538. Advance single ticket prices are $18 for adults/$15 for seniors, students and groups of 10 or more. Ticket prices at the door are $20 for adults and $18 for seniors/students.

A particularly intriguing piece is Come to the Woods by Jake Runestad, an award-winning American composer of classical music based in Minneapolis. The text for the work is taken from the writings of John Muir, the famEd Scottish-American naturalist, explorer, and early advocate for preserving the American wilderness. The music presents vivid sound "pictures" that evoke the lyrics. And the piano accompaniment displays the talents of the Chorale's accompanist, Mutsumi Mori. This is an extraordinary choral work and an experience not to be missed. Other works by composers such as Howard Hanson, Daniel Elder, Norman Dello Joio, and Rene Clausen will round out this first concert of the season. Dello Joio's Come to Me, My Love is filled with exquisite dissonances and resolutions that capture the beautiful words of Christina Rossetti's poem, Echo.

Come to me in the speaking silence of a dream O! come in silent dreams, my love; And whisper low, as long ago. Audiences can look forward to once again hearing the wonderful blend of voices that Founding Director Jeff Harris is known for assembling in some familiar pieces such as What a Wonderful World and Let The River Run, both arranged by Craig Hella Johnson. And, of course, the program would not be complete without the familiar strains of Turn, Turn, Turn. Make your plans now to join the Chorale for this grand beginning to Season 24!

About the Chorale Sonoran Desert Chorale was founded in 1994 and is led by Music Director Jeff Harris. Since its inception, the group has become a highly regarded and sophisticated choral organization, presenting musical compositions from cultures around the globe as well as important pieces from the European and American music traditions. Concerts frequently include guest performances and collaborations with distinguished artists and organizations in the community such as the Phoenix Children's Chorus, The Southwest Brass, Mesa Caledonian Pipe Band and the Four Seasons Symphony. The Chorale has engaged in six international concert tours, with performances throughout Europe, including Venice, Rome, Florence, Vienna, Salzburg, Prague, Budapest, Ljubljana, Bayeux, Chartres, Galway, Dublin, and Edinburgh. The Chorale was invited to perform with Broadway superstar Michael Crawford for the inaugural concert of the $150 million Mesa Arts Center. The Chorale was selected to appear at the Western Division Convention of the American Choral Directors Association in Salt Lake City, UT.

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