A cappella Choir tour

The program for the A cappella Choir tour will be in three parts:

Part one begins with songs about the wonder of Christ's birth, then progresses to his crucifixion and resurrection, concluding with a great hymn of praise. Literature includes "Bogoroditse Dievo" (Rachmaninoff), "Verbum Caro Factum Est" (Hassler), "Crucifixus and Et Resurrexit" (Bach), "Hope, Faith and Love" (Whitacre) and "Praise to the Lord" (F Melius Christiansen).

Part two consists of lighter music that is often virtuosic. Literature ranges from the Irish dance “Mouth Music” to “Past Life Melodies” (which incorporates a highly unusual means of producing sound through the use of overtones). Part two also includes a Venezuelan onomatopoeic jazz work and the Swingle Singers vocal version of Bach’s "Little Fugue in G Minor."

Part three features a short dramatic sketch as well as several spirituals, folk songs, gospel songs and hymns. Literature includes "The Battle of Jericho" (Hogan), "City Called Heaven" (Poelinitz), "Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye" (Parker), "He’s Got the Whole World" (Liebau) and our traditional closing hymn, "Beautiful Savior" (Christiansen).

Much of the choir literature is unaccompanied; some is accompanied by piano, flutes, oboes, bassoon, guitar and various percussion. Several works feature soloists.