Celebrating In Song!

The Skagit Valley Chorale celebrates the United States of America’s 250th birthday in song, joined by the North Cascades Concert Band in a collaborative program created and conducted by SVC director Dr. Yvette Burdick and NCCB director Peter Blau Ormsby. A rich and uplifting tapestry of choral music sung by 110 singers, complemented by the powerful and dramatic sonorities of nearly 50 players, will highlight the talents of American composers, arrangers, and poets in beloved American classics and soaring contemporary works. 

 

From John Phillip Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever March” to Christopher Tin’s theme song for the Civilization VI video game – featuring Leonardo da Vinci’s musings on human flight – familiar melodies sit alongside luminous modern pieces, melding into a concert that is both comforting and inspiring. 

 

Introspective moments of quiet beauty in Susan LaBarr’s “Grace Before Sleep” and “Homeward Bound,” Marta Keen’s anthem for returning American service members, give way to exuberant, patriotic favorites like Carmen Dragon’s classic arrangement of “America the Beautiful,” plus folk-inspired storytelling, from the rich TTBB harmonies of the cowboy song “Colorado Trail” to Robert Frost’s humorous and earthy New England tale, “A Girl’s Garden.” 

 

The ensemble presents these themes of home, hope, journey, and community in two concerts that we hope will leave listeners refreshed and moved by the power of song, Saturday, May 9, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, May 10, at 2:00 p.m. (Mother’s Day!).