Palm Sunday concert to honor first responders and the military
On Sunday, April 14, the Aurora Community Chorale and the Fox Valley Philharmonic will present a Palm Sunday Choral & Orchestra Concert at 3 p.m. at St. Mark's Lutheran Church, 27 S. Edgelawn Drive in Aurora.
The community is invited to this moving, one-of-a-kind concert. The Aurora Community Chorale, under the direction of Kristin Young, and the Fox Valley Philharmonic, under the direction of Stephen Thurlow, are joining forces to present a concert to honor all those who sacrifice their lives for our safety and freedom.
The soulful choral music mourns the lives of so many lost to gun violence, and especially honors those in the Aurora community who did not hesitate to put themselves in harm's way to save many lives at the Henry Pratt Company shooting in February.
They will dedicate the performance of Joshua Rist's "Invictus" to the first responders on Feb. 15, and the Navy hymn, "Eternal Father, Strong to Save," arranged by Dan Forrest, to those who serve in the military.
The program will include: Gioachino Rossini's Overture to "The Barber of Seville"; Leroy Anderson's "Bugler's Holiday"; Gabriel Faure's "Cantique de Jean Racine," arranged by John Rutter; Mack Wilberg's "Let Peace Then Still the Strife," and Gustav Holst's "Homeland," arranged by Z. Randall Stroope.
The choral pieces on the program are also being performed by the St. Mark's Festival Choir this summer in Paris, France, commemorating the 75th anniversary of D-Day.
Admission is free. A free-will offering will help sustain these nonprofit music groups.
Parking is available in the St. Mark's Lutheran Church parking lot adjacent to the church, on Edgelawn Drive.
The Aurora Community Chorale is directed by Kristin Young, director of worship and the arts at St. Mark's Lutheran Church. The singers include choir members from St. Mark's Lion's Voice Choir, as well as members of St. Mark's Festival Choir, along with choir members from Our Savior Lutheran Church in Aurora.
The Fox Valley Philharmonic, founded in 2006, is community orchestra directed by Stephen Thurlow, former music department chair at Aurora's Marmion Academy. Visit www.fvacademy.org/philharmonic/philharmonic-orchestra/.
For further information, call Kristin Young, (630) 897-6891 or email kyoung@stmarksaurora.net.