CT Master Chorale’s Spring Concert Will Have An International Sound

The Connecticut Master Chorale, under the direction of Tina Johns Heidrich, will present its spring concert on Saturday, May 21, at 8 pm, at St Rose of Lima, 46 Church Hill Road in Newtown.

“Around the World in 80 Minutes, Part II” will be a musical visit to 15 countries, in direct response to the tremendous popularity of last year’s spring concert “Around the World in 80 Minutes.” This year’s journey begins with “Call of the Champions,” written by John Williams to open the 2002 Olympic Games in Utah, and stops in 14 countries before returning to America with Peter Wilhousky’s iconic arrangement of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.”

The Chorale’s eclectic musical excursion will include folk songs, opera choruses, patriotic numbers and choral classics.

Embracing the unusual as well as the familiar, the diverse selections will include Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Hallelujah” from The Mount of Olives; Japanese tribute to Spring, “Sakura”; the South African folk song “Babethandaza”; and “Chorus of the Philistines” and “Danse Bacchanale” from Camille Saint-Saëns’ Samson et Dalila.

The Chorale will be accompanied by The Connecticut Master Chorale Orchestra and pianist Joseph Jacovino, Jr.

The Connecticut Master Chorale is an ensemble of 55 vocalists completing their 12th year of singing in western Connecticut. In addition to their regular three-concert seasons, the Chorale has performed by invitation at the White House, Lincoln Center, Madison Square Garden, West Point Military Academy and three times at Carnegie Hall and appeared on ABC-TV.

Newtown residents in the Master Chorale are Judy Bolduc, Ginnie Carey, Lisa Cedergren, Anita Corbeil, David Jurmn, Karen Orzechowski, Nancy Raymond, Pastor Greg Wismar, and Dan Yee.

Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Call 203-743-0473 for reservations or visit CMChorale.org for more information.