Larson to make directorial farewell

George Larson will make his directorial farewell at a spring concert presented by the Community Choir of Sisters.

The concerts will be held at Sisters Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration at 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 2, and 3 p.m. on Sunday, May 3.

For the past eight years, Larson has made the weekly commute to Sisters from Bend in order to lead the Sisters choir, but has finally decided that it's time to hand off the baton.

"I hate to retire," he said, "but I asked myself how long I wanted to keep doing this. I've had a lot of late nights, plus snow and ice commutes over the years; and I have to think about my carbon footprint, too."

Larson's musical talents will be missed, but his directorial hand will continue to be felt in the skills he has imparted to the Sisters singers. The centerpiece of his farewell performance will be Gabriel Fauré's "Requiem." Probably Fauré's best-known work, the "Requiem" has been a favorite of concert audiences for more than a hundred years.

Members of the Central Oregon Symphony will form a small orchestra to provide the accompaniment for this major musical work, which will be sung in Latin. Joining the Sisters choir for the "Requiem" are members of the First Presbyterian Chancel Choir of Bend, for a total of 50 singers. Featured soloists are Peggy Tehan, Roger Fairfield, and Emil Smith.

Also on the program are several spirituals and gospel songs, including pieces from the Tuskegee Choir Series by William L. Dawson, and the beautiful "Gaelic Blessing" by noted British composer John Rutter. Rebecca Smith will provide accompaniment on piano and harp for this portion of the concert.

All Sisters Community Choir concerts are free to the community, but donations are gladly accepted to help defray production costs.

The Church of the Transfiguration is located at 68845 Brooks Camp Road. For more information, contact George Larson at 541-388-4895 or [email protected]