Chamber Chorale, Concert Choir perform April 28

Chamber Chorale, Concert Choir perform April 28

Henderson State University’s Chamber Chorale and Concert Choir will perform at 7:30 p.m. April 28 in the Russell Fine Arts Center recital hall. The concert is free and open to the public.

The Chamber Chorale will perform the oratorio The Prodigal Son by Marc-Antoine Charpentier, and the Concert Choir will present parts of Mozart’s Solemn Vespers. Both groups are under the direction of Dr. Ryan Fox.

Charpentier was a 17th Century French composer.  The Prodigal Son is an oratorio, which is a composition for choir, vocal soloists, and instrumentalists that tells a biblical story in multiple movements.  In this case, it is the story of the prodigal son — a young man who left his father’s home, spent all of his money on outlandish living, and sought to return to his father as a servant but was welcomed back with open arms as a full member of the family.

Countertenor Dr. Chad Payton, assistant professor of voice at Delta State University, will sing the role of the prodigal son. Henderson music professor Dr. Bill Higgins, baritone, will sing the role of the father.  This work will also feature student soloists Makenzie Lee of Malvern, Haley Patillo of Texarkana, Texas, Lisa Ridgeway or Cabot, Jordan Murdock of Bryant, and Tanner Oglesby of Benton.

Solemn Vespers was written in 1780 for the Salzburg Cathedral in Austria.  The performance will feature Henderson professor Dr. Laura Storm, soprano, and student soloists Freddy Whiting of North Little Rock, Lena Lazenby of Arkadelphia, Casey Williams of Malvern, as well as the soloists from The Prodigal Son.

For more information, contact Fox at 870-230-5053 or foxr@hsu.edu.