Music lovers from throughout southwest Oklahoma will want to attend “Songs of Love, Life, and Hope,” a joint concert featuring the Cameron/Lawton Community Civic Chorus and the Cameron University Concert Choir. Presented in conjunction with the university’s current academic festival, “Care and Health: A Generational Approach,” the concert is scheduled for Sunday, March 3, at 3 p.m. in the University Theatre.
Tickets purchased at the door are $10 for adults, $8 for senior citizens, members of the military and non-CU students. Cameron University students, faculty and staff receive one free admission with their CU I.D. Tickets can be reserved by calling the Box Office at 580-581-2346. Tickets can also be purchased in advance online at https://www.cameron.edu/art-music-and-theatre/events/buy-tickets. (Taxes and processing fees apply.)
The Cameron Concert Choir, led by Dr. Christian Morren and accompanied by Tom Willoughby on piano, will open the concert with Jay Althouse’s "Bright Morning Stars." The number, arranged for a cappella voices, is based on an Appalachian folksong and will feature soloists Kaitlin Kaulaity and Lillie Wright, both of Lawton, and Hadlee Smith of Walters.
Next, the choir will present "If I Were a Velvet Rose" by Kevin Memley, which features a text by Sara Teasdale that explores reflections on humanity. Solo performances will be delivered by Divina D’Haiti and Veronica Squire, both of Lawton.
The choir will close its portion of the concert with "You Are My Refuge.” Composed during the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, this composition serves as a beacon of inspiration and reflection, offering hope for humanity's resilience and perseverance.
Under the direction of Doris Lambert, the Cameron/Lawton Community Civic Chorus will present“ Liebeslieder Waltzes, Opus 52” by Johannes Brahms, who chose the text for this work from Daumer’s “Polydora,” a collection of folk poetry concerning the joy and rapture of love. Each of the 18 short movements is set as a waltz but presents a variety of settings in tempo and emotion. Featured singers include students Sophia Availa and Alexander Miller, both of Lawton; alumni Alyson Bishop, Anastacia Brennan, Khalil Cabrera-Tosado, and Samantha Cook, Lawton; and Kirk Prucha, Comanche. They will be joined by community members Lynda Andrews, David Hastings, and Kyle Sheffer, all of Lawton. Danielle Angeloni and David C. Anderson will accompany the ensemble on four-hand piano.
The concert will close by combining both choirs to present Joseph Martin’s “The Awakening,” which was commissioned for performance at the 20th anniversary of the Texas Choral Directors Association. In describing this work, which also commemorates the death of Martin’s high school choral teacher, Martin refers to the anthem as his “journey back to joy … a testament to the power of music to heal and the determination that we all discovered while trying to honor the life-song of our beloved teacher.”
Both ensembles welcome participation by musicians and vocalists from throughout the area. For information about participating in the Cameron/Lawton Community Civic Chorus, contact Doris Lambert at dlambert@cameron.edu. For information about participating in the Cameron University Concert Choir, contact Dr. Christian Morren at cmorren@cameron.edu.
###
PR#23-031
