St. Charles Singers invite listeners to ‘Pause, Reflect and Ponder’ Oct. 26-27

The St. Charles Singers, led by founder and artistic director Jeffrey Hunt, will launch its 40th anniversary season with concerts Oct. 26-27 in its hometown of St. Charles, with a program titled “Pause, Reflect and Ponder.”

The acclaimed mixed-voice chamber choir will perform works by three contemporary Illinois composers alongside choral gems by international classical luminaries Maurice Duruflé, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Ēriks Ešenvalds, and others.

Hunt says, "The music in this concert and throughout our celebratory season highlights what I feel are the special strengths of the St. Charles Singers. Communicating in a genuine way, with integrity and authenticity. Singing that’s energetic, passionate, and informed."

The program spotlights choral compositions by Marybeth Kurnat, of DeKalb, a soprano with the St. Charles Singers; Rockford-based, British-born Donald Fraser, "noted and widely performed as a composer" (AllMusic.com); and veteran choral director and educator Robert Boyd of Westmont.

Kurnat’s “For the Sake of Your Journey” is a musical setting of a poem mounted in the famous Chapel of Bones in Evora, Portugal. Written by a 19th-century parish priest, it urges visitors to “pause,” “reflect,” and “ponder” their own mortality, hence the concert’s title. Kurnat encountered the poem while visiting the chapel during the St. Charles Singers’ 2023 concert tour on the Iberian Peninsula.

In his “Magnificat,” which premiered in 2018, Fraser interweaves text from Mary’s song of praise, found in the Gospel of Luke, with verses of a 19th-century poem about the Songs of Mary. The piece is scored for choir, clarinet, viola, and piano.

Boyd’s contribution is an arrangement of the traditional, tragic British folk ballad "Two Brothers.”

The concert also includes Ivo Antognini’s bright and exuberant "Canticum Novum.” Charles Villiers Stanford’s "O for a Closer Walk With God" exudes fervor and spiritual commitment.

Ivor Gurney’s motet for unaccompanied double choir, "Since I Believe in God the Father Almighty," speaks of faith in the face of adversity. Romanian composer György Orbán’s "Daemon Irrepit Callidus” (The Devil Speaks Expertly) comes from a medieval text about Satan “tempting the honorable heart.”

Gregorian chant is heard in Maurice Duruflé’s "Sanctus" from his transcendent "Requiem," Opus 9, written in the aftermath of World War II.

In addition, the choir will perform Ēriks Ešenvalds’ meditative, gently ecstatic "O Salutaris Hostia," featuring two soprano soloists; Ralph Vaughan Williams’ thrilling psalm-anthem "O Clap Your Hands," and Fanny Hensel’s Romantic-era "Lockung" (Seduction), Opus 3, No.1, brimming with beautiful imagery and sounds. Hensel was the older sister of composer Felix Mendelssohn and one of the first published female composers.

Concerts are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 27, at Baker Memorial United Methodist Church, 307 Cedar Ave. in St. Charles.

Single-admission tickets are $45, $40 for seniors 65 or older, and $12 for students. Group discounts are available.

Tickets and information are available at stcharlessingers.com or by calling (630) 513-5272. Tickets are also available at Townhouse Books, 105 N. Second Ave., St. Charles (checks or cash only at this ticket venue). Tickets may also be purchased at the door on the day of the concert, depending on availability.

St. Charles Singers

Thirty-two members of the St. Charles Singers will be heard in October’s “Pause, Reflect and Ponder” concerts.

These include sopranos Karen Rockett of Batavia; Chloe Hayes, Chicago; Kelly Johnson, Crystal Lake; Marybeth Kurnat, DeKalb; Lydia Walsh-Rock, Forest Park; Laura Johnson, Hanover Park; and AnDréa James and Cynthia Spiegel, St. Charles.

Alto voices are Christina Collins, Arlington Heights; Margaret Fox, Batavia; Amy Bearden, Chicago; Jennifer Gingrich, Naperville; Chelsea King, North Aurora; Bethany Brewer, Palos Heights; Debra Wilder, Vernon Hills; and Karen Archbold, Wheaton.

The tenor section includes Brian Smith, Aurora; Marcus Jansen, Batavia; Bradley Staker, Elburn; Nicholas Metzger, Elgin; Stephen Mollica, Naperville; Gregor King, North Aurora; David Hunt, Wayne; and Steve Williamson, West Chicago.

Basses are Brandon Fox, Batavia; Douglas Peters, Chicago; Nate Coon and Brian Jozwiak, Crystal Lake; Jess Koehn, Downers Grove; Michael Popplewell, North Aurora; Antonio Quaranta, River Grove; and Aaron James, St. Charles.

Organist and collaborative pianist is Glen Ellyn’s Stephen Uhl.

Founded and directed by Jeffrey Hunt, the St. Charles Singers is a chamber choir dedicated to choral music in all its forms. Hailed by American Record Guide as “a national treasure,” the mixed-voice ensemble includes professional singers, choral directors, and voice instructors, some of whom perform with other top-tier Chicago choirs. Classics Today has called the ensemble “one of North America’s outstanding choirs,” citing “charisma and top-notch musicianship” that “bring character and excitement to each piece.” The Chicago Tribune has described the St. Charles Singers as “splendidly disciplined, beautifully responsive” and proclaimed, “Chamber chorus singing doesn’t get much better than this.” Among the St. Charles Singers’ prominent guest conductors have been renowned English composer Sir John Rutter, founder of the Cambridge Singers; Philip Moore, composer and former music director at England’s York Minster cathedral; and Grammy Award-winning American choir director Craig Hella Johnson. The choir launched in St. Charles, Illinois, in 1984 as the Mostly Madrigal Singers.