First Congregational Church of Crystal Lake hosts annual Spring Concert March 8
First Congregational Church's adult Vestry Choir and Jubilate Bell Choir will present their annual spring concert at 4 p.m. Sunday, March 8, in the church's beautiful sanctuary at 461 Pierson St. in Crystal Lake.
The choirs are under the leadership team of director of music Ann Tucker, accompanist Barbara Thorsen, and bellmaster Toni Gambini.
Immediately following the performance, all are invited to a benefit supper in support of FCC's youth programs. Jubilate, the virtuosic adult bell choir, will perform six pieces of the concert.
Four of their pieces are written by Jason Krug, an Indianapolis native who holds a degree in music from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Krug is a full-time freelance composer, arranger, clinician and teacher and since his first publication in 2006, he has written over 300 compositions and arrangements. Jubilate will be performing Krug's "Gaudete," "Contemplation," "Novus" and "Beneath the Cross of Jesus." Additionally Jubilate will be opening with a Cathy Moklebust arrangement of a familiar hymn entitled "Toccata on Holy, Holy, Holy." "Hungarian Dance No. 5" by Johannes Brahams, arranged for handbells by Martha Lynn Thompson, will close their portion of the performance. Vestry Choir will be singing the uplifting "Rejoice" by Jeffrey Ames with soloists Tom Vos and Linnae Babick.
Vestry's centerpiece work is an exciting and unique work by New York composer, Glenn McClure, "St. Francis in the Americas: A Caribbean Mass" featuring the 70-voice Vestry Choir, guest soloists, and Potts and Pans, a full Steelpan band led by Crystal Lake native Matt Potts.
Composer Glenn McClure travels the world, seeking the musical voice of the Earth. He listens to the natural world and the people who study and live within it. From camping on the Ross Ice Shelf of Antarctica to hiking the volcanoes of Hawaii, McClure searches for the place where science and beauty meet. His main compositional interest lies in the mixing of classical music with ethnic traditions and using nontraditional languages and music styles from many world cultures. "St. Francis in the Americas: A Caribbean Mass" combines the writings of St. Francis of Assisi (1182-1226) and traditional Latin mass texts with the musical traditions and instruments of Latin America and Africa. Steel drums, New Orleans Blues, Salsa, and Caribbean Samba will be just some of the sonic delights of this concert!
To learn more about Mr. McClure's work, check out www.artforbrains.com.
The Vestry Choir will be accompanied by a steelpan and percussion ensemble. Matt Potts, owner of the Steelpan Store, Potts and Pans, and Culture, Arts and Music, has prepared the ensemble.
He will be joined by Bridget Agress on lead/bass steelpans; Christina Potts, cello steelpan; Alex Kluver, bass steelpan; Dan Bretz, drum set; with Anthony Jay Houston and Megan Janis on auxiliary percussion.
Soloists for St. Francis in the Americas are FCC members Allison Atteberry, Toni Gambini, Jennifer Streit and Maggie Tucker, as well as mezzo soprano Breanna Coe of Chicago, and tenor Todd Coe who grew up in FCC and now resides in Chicago as well.
For more information, call the church office at (815) 459-6010 or visit fcc-cl.org. The public is invited to attend this free program; a freewill offering will be received. The performance will also be live streamed at www.facebook.com/fcc.cl/ for those that cannot make it in person.
Doors will open at 3:30 p.m. for the 4 p.m. concert. Come early to get a seat! First Congregational Church is handicapped accessible. And don't forget the benefit supper to follow in the fellowship hall in support of the church youth programs.