Naperville Chorus to perform opera, sacred classics for 50th anniversary concert April 19
This year, the Naperville Chorus proudly celebrates 50 years of making beautiful music together. Experience the power and passion of chorus with orchestra as they present a concert with selections drawn from opera, oratorio, and beloved sacred works.
On Sunday, April 19, the Naperville Chorus will present the concert “Opera Choruses & Great Choral Classics,” under the direction of Kevin Kelly, the new permanent music director.
The “Choral Classics” portion will include selections from your favorite choral classics including “The Heavens are Telling” from Austrian composer Joseph Haydn’s oratorio “The Creation” and “He, Watching Over Israel” from German composer Felix Mendelssohn’s oratorio “Elijah.” Opera choruses will include selections from “Aida” and “Carmen.”
The concert will be at 4 p.m. at Wentz Concert Hall and Fine Arts Center, 171 E. Chicago Ave. in Naperville. Tickets are $30, or $25 for students and senior, age 65 or older. For tickets or information, visit napervillechorus.org.
From Bach to Verdi, Carmen to Macbeth-this program will thrill and inspire every listener!
The Naperville Chorus, founded in 1976, draws its members from Naperville and the greater Chicago area. The Chorus has a wide repertoire, with a focus on classic choral works, often including elements of gospel, jazz, Broadway, and other genres.
When North Central College, beset by financial pressures, eliminated most of its music programs in 1971, a significant loss was the NCC Community Chorus, which included both student and community members.
Some of those members, while mourning their loss, carpooled to Downers Grove to sing with the Downers Grove Oratorio. In 1976, when Naperville organized an ad hoc chorus to celebrate the U.S. Bicentennial, Robert O. Jaynes — one of those carpool denizens! — saw his chance, envisioning a Naperville-based permanent Chorus; he was joined by approximately 40 choristers, and the Naperville Chorus took root, offering two concerts of Handel’s “Messiah” choruses in that initial season.
Jaynes directed until 1989, when Jeordano Martinez, part of a new NCC music department, took over, serving as director for 34 years.
Now in its 50th year, and with a membership of more than 100 singers, they are pleased to have Kevin Kelly as music director and the continuing talents of Jon Warfel, assistant director and rehearsal accompanist.
The singers represent more than 30 communities. Each year, the Chorus presents concerts during the fall holiday season and in the spring. The Chorus has also traveled and concertized in Eastern Europe, Spain, Portugal, and Ireland. Chorus members participated in a Memorial Day concert in Washington, D.C., and have performed at Chicago’s Symphony Center, as well as with other choruses, the DuPage Symphony and the Elgin Symphony. A Chorus subgroup, The Outreach Singers, takes music to nursing homes and retirement facilities in the Naperville area during the summer months.
The Chorus would like to acknowledge the support of the Illinois Arts Council, SECA (the Special Events and Community Arts fund of Naperville), The National Endowment for the Arts, and North Central College.