Cal Poly choirs to present ‘Heaven and Hell’ concert in Mission SLO
The Chamber Choir pictured in November 2022.
Concert to feature the Requiem masses of Mozart and Howells
– Two Cal Poly Choirs — PolyPhonics and Chamber Choir — will present a concert titled “Heaven and Hell” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 11, in Mission San Luis Obispo.
The concert will feature two major works from both old and new traditions. PolyPhonics will perform Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s famous Requiem in D Minor, K 626, from 1791; and the Chamber Choir will perform Herbert Howells’ “Requiem,” which was composed in the 1930s.
“Mozart’s requiem mass is one of the most famous pieces in history, as he tragically died before completing it,” said Scott Glysson, Cal Poly’s director of choral activities.
PolyPhonics will be accompanied by an orchestra of Cal Poly faculty and students, and will feature soloists from the Cal Poly Choirs.
PolyPhonics will also perform “A Silence Haunts Me” by Jake Runestad, which was composed in 2018 for the American Choral Directors Association National Conference in Minneapolis. Its lyrics are derived from Beethoven’s tragic letter, the “Heiligenstadt Testament,” and set dramatically using newly composed music and fragments from various Beethoven masterpieces. The group will also perform “The Heavens’ Flock” by Ēriks Ešenvalds, which will be conducted by Cal Poly music major Alfred Zoppi, and “Light of a Clear Blue Morning” featuring Cal Poly faculty member Amy Goymerac as the soloist.
The Chamber Choir will perform Howell’s “Requiem,” which is rarely performed but, according to Glysson, is a stunning setting of the text for unaccompanied choir. “This requiem is much more focused on hope and uses less traditional texts,” Glysson said.
PolyPhonics pictured in November 2022.
Tickets to the concert are $20 for general and $10 for students. Tickets can be purchased from the Cal Poly Ticket Office between noon and 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. To order by phone, call 805-SLO-4TIX (805-756-4849). Event parking is sponsored by the PAC. The music department offers a 20% discount to patrons who buy season tickets to four of its events through the Cal Poly Ticket Office.
The concert is sponsored by Cal Poly’s Music Department, College of Liberal Arts, and Instructionally Related Activities program.
For more information, visit the Music Department’s calendar website, email music@calpoly.edu, or call (805) 756-2406.
Tickets are available here: pacslo.org/online/article/polyphonics23
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