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Under the direction of Donald Busarow, professor of music and university organist, the choir will present a program of works representing 400 years of choral literature, including works sung in German, Russian and Latin.
"Our concert programs are unique, in my opinion," said Busarow, who has directed the choir for 26 years of its 78-year history. "I look for some piece for everyone, and I look for unusual compositions that are worthy of performing along with the ‘Masters'."
Busarow's mother was born in Russia and his father in Lithuania. With this background he has developed a special interest in Russian Orthodox music. Two Russian works of Rachmaninoff will be included in the program, while the major work of the concert is J.S. Bach's motet, "Singet dem Herrn" ("Sing to the Lord a New Song"), considered the most outstanding of his six motets.
The choir will also perform The Dream Isaiah Saw, scored by Glenn L. Rudolph (2002), on a poem by Thomas Troeger in memory of those who perished on Sept. 11, 2001. On the six-month anniversary of the attacks, the Wittenberg Choir sang the national anthem at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City.
Ten of the 54 members of the choir have been with the choir throughout their four years at Wittenberg, a remarkable achievement. Earning a position in the choir for one year is no guarantee of a permanent position. Annual auditions are held, and members are selected on the basis of voice quality, vocal range and music skills.
The choir is composed of students from a wide variety of majors and disciplines. Every academic department on campus is represented in the choir. Performing with the choir is more than simply an activity for the students.
The choir has performed throughout the United States and has even traveled internationally in the past. Busarow takes pride in rigorous preparations that allow the choir to perform at its very best, as it did in November 2007 at historic Severance Hall in Cleveland. In its history, the Wittenberg Choir has earned positive reviews from critics across the United States and in Canada, Latin America, Europe and Russia.
The event is free and open to the public.
Written By: Ryan Maurer
038-08
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