Elgin Master Chorale sings Rodgers and Hammerstein classics

The beloved show tunes of Rodgers and Hammerstein will come to life on stage this weekend in the Fox Valley.

The Elgin Master Chorale is teaming up with the Chicago Bar Association Symphony and Chorus Sunday to present the concert "Something Wonderful," which has been more than a year in the works.

The groups will present favorites from "South Pacific," "Oklahoma!," "The King and I," "The Sound of Music," and more.

The songs, including "Edelweiss," "Some Enchanted Evening" and "I Whistle A Happy Tune," will be showcased on a grand scale by the groups, which will bring together 170 choral singers and 60 orchestra members.

"We will be performing the greatest and most well-known works of Rogers and Hammerstein," said Elizabeth Niemeier, the Elgin Master Chorale's institutional advancement manager and artistic operations assistant.

"The general public knows these songs and loves these songs, and hearing them with a full orchestra and full chorus is just tremendous."

The groups, which are both made up of members from throughout Chicagoland, will not rehearse together until Friday, two nights before the show.

However, separately, they've been working diligently behind the scenes to bring a show of this magnitude to the stage in the Fox Valley.

The show will be complete with choreography and props.

"It's going to be a huge scale and really grand," said Niemeier of Elgin, who has been with the Elgin Master Chorale since 2012. "We are really excited."

The idea for the collaboration between the two groups and for the show began more than a year ago, in January 2014, said Elgin Master Chorale Director Jen Bolino.

It came from longtime Elgin musician and Chicago Bar Association Orchestra founder David Katz, who previously worked as assistant conductor of the Elgin Symphony, Elgin Youth Symphony, and Elgin Choral Union, which was the choir now known as the Elgin Master Chorale.

Discussions took place over several months to work out the details, she said.

"It took almost six months to finalize details of the project," Bolino said. "Now, over a year later, we are about to see the result of all our efforts, and it promises to be a landmark in the history of the Elgin Master Chorale."

After the specifics of the union were worked out, all of the details of the show had to be finalized, Niemeier said.

For example, they've had to order 200 custom music scores from the official Rodgers and Hammerstein Library in New York.

They've also secured 16 pieces of percussion and 100 sailor hats for the production.

"This project has proved to be as unique as it is exciting," Niemeier said. "In addition to the 230 volunteer artists onstage, volunteers and staff have been working tirelessly behind the scenes. Even the pure logistics of managing this number of performers onstage requires a strict attention to detail and ability to anticipate needs. Volunteers and staff from both organizations, as well as Elgin Community College staff, are in daily communication to ensure the best show possible."

Chorale member Amy Cho of Gilberts, who joined the group in 2013 as a soprano, said the singers have had to prepare differently for this concert as well, compared with their regular performances. So far, she said, it's been a fun experience.

"This concert has been a bit of a break from our chorale's traditional repertoire of music, as it is more theatrical in nature, but it has certainly been enjoyable rehearsing Rodgers and Hammerstein's music," Cho said.

"I'll find out after this weekend, but I suspect this may be one of the few times I had as much, if not more, fun rehearsing for the concert as the actual concert itself.

"From refining our southern twangs for songs like 'Oklahoma' and 'Kansas City' to mastering the hauntingly beautiful chords of 'Bali Ha'i,' I have been pleasantly surprised by how much musical prowess Rodgers and Hammerstein required of their singers."

While the joint performance will be this weekend, the Elgin Master Chorale performed a pared-down version about two weeks ago as part of its educational concert series, said member Chris Johnson of Batavia, who has sung in the bass section of the group for 18 years.

"We gave one of our well-known educational concerts using the same music in a reduced program that thrilled and entertained over 500 middle school students," Johnson said.

Johnson added that this weekend's performance will be even more thrilling with both groups performing together.

"Anyone attending the concert will have a chance to hear Rogers and Hammerstein's greatest songs," Johnson said.

"Our group is known for having the highest of standards and we regularly perform the great choral masterworks, so we were thrilled to do such a large scale production with the Chicago Bar Association Orchestra and Chorus."

The show will take place at 3:30 p.m. Sunday March 22, in the Blizzard Theater at Elgin Community College, 1700 Spartan Drive. Tickets are $22 for adults, $17 for seniors, $14 for students and $5 for children 12 and younger. Call (847) 622-0300.

If you go

What: Elgin Master Chorale's "Something Wonderful" concert

When: 3:30 p.m. Sunday, March 22

Where: Blizzard Theatre, Elgin Community College, 1700 Spartan Drive

Tickets: $22 adults, $17 seniors, $14 students, and $5 for children ages 12 and younger.

Contact: (847) 622-0300 or <a href="http://www.elginmasterchorale.org">elginmasterchorale.org</a>