Chorale performing for Mother's Day

Sisters High Desert Chorale Director Connie Gunterman will bring the highly regarded singing group back to perform two free performances Mother's Day weekend at Sisters Community Church. (Donations are welcome.)

The first performance will be on Friday evening, May 12, at 7 p.m., and next on Sunday, May 14, Mother's Day at 2:30 p.m.

The performance will begin with the chorale doing "Water is Wide," followed by "A Gaelic Blessing," a choral composition by composer John Rutter, who set the text to an adapted ancient Gaelic tune. It's also known by the beginning of the text, "Deep Peace." The work was commissioned by the Chancel Choir of First United Methodist Church in Omaha, Nebraska, and published first in 1978 by Hinshaw Music, and has become a popular for baptisms, weddings, and funerals.

That will be followed by "Silver Swan," Greg Gilpin's original music, set to Orlando Gibbon's famous poem and music that is both reflective and compelling. The first lines, "The silver swan, who living had no note, when death approached, unlocked her silent throat..." are hauntingly beautiful.

That will be followed by four more numbers: "Danny Boy," "Black is the Color," "Seeing Nellie Home," and "Soon Ah Will be Done."

And after that there will be intermission where the audience can eat some cookies and meet the singers.

"Danny Boy" will open the second part of the concert, followed by "Deep River," then "Simple Gifts," a Shaker song written and composed in 1848 by Elder Joseph Brackett. The piece was largely unknown outside Shaker communities until the well-known composer Aaron Copland used its melody in 1944 for the score of Martha Graham's ballet "Appalachian Spring."

"Prayer From Hansel and Gretel" will come next, followed by Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess." "Porgy and Bess" was first performed in Boston on September 30, 1935, and featured an entire cast of classically trained African-American singers - a daring artistic choice at the time.

"Bridge Over Troubled Water" will be the final number.

In several of the numbers, the audience will be encouraged to sing along.

Members of the chorale have been rehearsing in The Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration Monday nights for a couple of months.

If you are inspired to join in for the next performance, visit www.sistershighdesertchorale.com, watch for the next rehearsal schedule, sign up and come on down.