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Concert will unite 250 choral singers for peace
By GUY D’ASTOLFO
YOUNGSTOWN
The Stambaugh Chorus has assembled 250 singers from seven area choral groups and a 25-piece orchestra for one extraordinary concert.
Titled Giving Voice to Peace II, the performance will be Friday at Stambaugh Auditorium and will share a message of peace through vocal harmony.
It’s the second Peace Concert put together by Hae-Jong Lee, director of Stambaugh Chorus and the Warren Civic Chorus, and also associate professor and director of choral activities at the Dana School of Music at Youngstown State University.
Participating are Stambaugh Chorus, the Mahoning Valley Chorale, Ashtabula County Choral Music Society, Fitch High School Concert Choir, Maestro Arts Youth Concert Choir, Wilmington Area High School Chamber Singers and Warren Civic Chorus Children’s Chorus.
Gary Sexton of WYSU-88.5 FM will be the emcee.
Lee says the concert is special in that so many singers are uniting for one purpose.
“It is particularly important that children and youth ensembles have been invited to perform because it fosters in them a love of choral singing and a message of peace, and passes this tradition to the next generation,” said Lee.
A 25-piece orchestra has been assembled to accompany the choral singers.
Lee presented the first Peace Concert last year at Stambaugh Auditorium. He said the organization is growing in size and ambition.
“This endeavor could not be accomplished without the dedication of the chorus members who give of their time, talent and treasure to serve this community by bringing the beauty of choral music to the people of our Valley,” said Lee.
Friday’s concert will be dedicated to the memory of Dr. Barbara Modic, the late president of Stambaugh Chorus, who died in September after a long illness.
In the first half of the concert, the individual choirs will present their own peace-themed repertoire.
After the intermission, the combined adult choirs, soloists and the orchestra will present Faure’s “Requiem” as the centerpiece of the evening, with soloists Brianne K. Samson, soprano, and Brian Johnson, baritone.
Then the orchestra will present Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber.
The concert will conclude with two pieces involving all seven choirs and orchestra. The first, “Angel of Peace” by Jonny Priano, was commissioned for the concert by the Stambaugh Chorus.
Priano wrote the following in his introduction to the composition:
“‘Angel of Peace’ takes its text from 19th century American author Oliver Wendell Holmes. The text paints a portrait of the celebration surrounding the earthly arrival of Jesus Christ, referred to as the Angel of Peace throughout the text.
“I found this particular text to be appropriate for the message of this concert because it emphasizes the need for a peaceful presence in our world and the joy that resulted from the arrival of this peacemaker. Musically, the piece is written in three sections: first building anticipation for the arrival of Jesus, next capturing the joy and celebration as the characters gather around the newborn baby, and finally making the proclamation of angels that peace has arrived on earth.”
The concert will conclude with “United in Song” by Paul Hauley, which was commissioned to mark the millennium year of the Canadian festival UNISONG. It premiered July 1, 2000, with 2,000 singers.
Lee said that it will be his special honor to conduct the inspirational piece with 250 singers of all ages.