After two successful seasons performing in Farmville, Richmond, and Charlottesville, The Piedmont Singers of Central Virginia will make their Williamsburg debut this September, in the Great Hall of the Wren Building on the campu of William and Mary, presenting a new program of contemporary choral music. Entitled Love and Madness, the concert features music written in the 20th and 21st century, much of it written in just the last twenty years. The music sets the texts of many well known poets including Shakespeare, Emily Dickinson, Wendell Berry, and others. Over the course of the program, the vocal octet presents a musical narrative exploring love, temptation, lost love, a descent into madness, as well as hope for love to come. Composers include closely watched choral artists like Jake Runestad, Jocelyn Hagen, Ola Gjeilo, Joan Szymko, and The Piedmont Singers’ own Ian Richardson, who was commissioned to compose two works for the group. Popular selections include Aretha Franklin’s version of Paul Simon’s Bridge Over Troubled Water. “The music is unlike what you may have heard before. It is appealing to classical music fans, but also very accessible to popular and folk music fans, due to the contemporary harmonies and effects used,” says director and alto in the group Dr. Helena von Rueden. “We’ll sing thought-provoking lyrics and poetry; these eight voices move as one- without instrumental background- it’s inspiring to be part of. Plus, I’ve programmed the music in such a way that we tell a story through the characters that appear in the songs. Whether a character is ecstatic in their love of God, is going crazy from separation from a loved one, is feeling the intensity of romantic love, or the temptation to stray, the program is pretty thrilling. It’s quite the rollercoaster ride of emotions, but don’t worry, it does end on a hopeful note! We hope the concert will transport people and be a great experience.”
This September, the group will perform in Farmville (Saturday, September 8th at 7:30pm, Crawley Forum, Hampden-Sydney College), Williamsburg (Saturday, September 15h at 7:30pm, Great Hall, Wren Building, William and Mary), and Richmond (Saturday, September 22 at 7:30, Bethlehem Lutheran Church). No tickets are necessary. A donation of $15 is suggested for the Williamsburg and Richmond concerts, and the Hampden-Sydney concert is free, sponsored by the Hampden-Sydney Music Series. The group is directed by Dr. Helena von Rueden, and all the singers hail from the central Virginia region, each with their own professional distinctions in music and academia, including Sarah Frook Gallo, conductor of the Women’s Chorus at William and Mary. To see profiles of the singers, learn more about the concerts, or to support the work of the group through a donation, visit http://www.thepiedmontsingers.org. The group is also on Facebook (ThePiedmontSingersofCentralVA) and on Instagram (@thepiedmontsingers).
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