Lake Forest orchestra, choirs join for concert

The Lake Forest Civic Orchestra will share the stage with the Northbrook Community Choir and the Waukegan Concert Chorus, as well as three female soloists, in its upcoming "Lifting Every Voice."

The concert is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 22, at 4 p.m. in Lake Forest's Gorton Community Center auditorium, 400 E. Illinois Road, Lake Forest.

The LFCO and the vocal ensembles will perform masterpieces from the vocal repertoire, including Antonio Vivaldi's "Gloria"; Samuel Barber's "Knoxville, Summer of 1915"; and Daniel Auber's "Overture to Le Cheval De Bronze." To buy tickets online, visit www.lakeforestcivicorchestra.org.

Robert Nordling, the new music director of the LFCO, welcomes the opportunity to collaborate with these fellow local arts organizations.

"There is so much evidence to demonstrate the benefit of music and the arts in enriching communities. When the arts flourish, communities flourish - socially, relationally and even economically. We invest in a community when we take the arts and music seriously," Nordling said.

Featured soloists joining the LFCO and choirs for this performance are Sarah Van der Ploeg, soprano (Barber and Vivaldi), Karen Ann Baron, soprano (Vivaldi), and Bridget Skaggs, alto (Vivaldi).

The Northbrook Community Choir is a collection of more than 40 singers from the Northbrook area and has performed locally at the Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago, Techny Towers in Northbrook, and Carnegie Hall in New York City. The group is led by Benjamin Gray.

The Waukegan Concert Chorus, established in 1976, has presented a variety of major works and anthems, including the Randall Thompson "Frostiana," Verdi's "Requiem" and pieces by Eleanor Daley, Mark Hayes, Bob Chilcott, John Rutter and other contemporary composers. It is led by Randy Casey.

Nordling's inaugural concert as LFCO music director was in September. He was selected to lead the group after a yearlong search included four candidates serving as guest conductor for one LFCO performance.

"This concert celebrates the bond between vocal and instrumental music," Nordling said. "We, as an orchestra, will play music written to accompany the voice - the most 'human' of all instruments."