Following its premiere on March 23, “Together in Song” Season 3 continues on Saturday nights through April 20. Kevin Rhodes, conductor of the Springfield Symphony, hosts this series that features 36 choral groups from throughout the area.
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Kevin Rhodes, conductor and music director of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, at 2011 performance by the SSO.
SPRINGFIELD–Choral musicians from western New England will again be together in song.
“Together In Song” once again celebrates the living choral tradition in Western New England by showcasing up to 50 non-professional choral ensembles in a 10-week television series entitled “Together in Song: A Celebration of Choral Music in Western New England.” The series will culminate in a choral showcase broadcast live on WGBY on Sunday, April 28, at 7 p.m.
Following its premiere on March 23, “Together in Song” Season 3 continues on Saturday nights through April 20. Kevin Rhodes, conductor of the Springfield Symphony, hosts this series that features 36 choral groups from throughout the area.
It airs on WGBY HD Channel on Saturdays at 8 and 8:30 p.m. and on Sundays at 11 and 11:30 a.m. It may also be seen on WGBY-WORLD Channel Sundays at 7 and 7:30 p.m. and Wednesdays at 2 and 2:30 p.m. and on WGBY-KIDS Channel Mondays at 9 and 9:30 p.m. and Thursdays at 8 and 8:30 p.m.
“Every season highlights the talented people in our region, but it’s the variety of talent we’re especially excited about this year, and I think viewers will notice that from one episode to the next,” says Executive Producer Lynn Page. “What strikes me the most is the passion I see in all of these people who come to sing.”
Viewers can witness that passion in person. “Together in Song” culminates in a live broadcast from Springfield’s Paramount Theater on Sunday, April 28.
Feedback from viewers, via the Together in Song website, along with judges’ opinions, will determine which groups will perform in the live showcase.
Clifton J. “Jerry” Noble Jr. will debut his “Together in Song” during the showcase. He is currently staff accompanist at Smith College in Northampton, classical music writer for The Republican and a frequently commissioned composer/arranger.
“The piece is about the joy of singing together,” he said.
The refrain goes:
“Together in song, the art of the heart and mind;
Together in music, we know we belong.
We sing for joy, we sing for peace, and love;
The future is ours to share, together in song.”
E. Wayne Abercrombie, conductor of the Children’s Chorus of Springfield, asked Noble to compose this piece for this occasion.
It seemed right to title the piece after the event, Noble noted. “Choral music is like no other in that it enlists several human voices that—hopefully--blend in such a way as to create the illusion of a huge voice, more powerful than the sum of its parts, yet vulnerable and urgent as life itself, since the lack of any single voice perceptibly diminishes the overall effect.”
In the text he wrote for the piece, he tried to capture that larger-than-life aspect of ensemble singing as well as the joy and positive energy the activity imparts to all participants.
It was written for mixed chorus--soprano, alto, tenor, bass--and piano. “Presumably the eventual ensemble will include children’s choirs, adult choirs, teens, collegiate ensembles, etc.,” Noble said.
Describing the joy born of singing with others, Noble said, “The physical sensation of feeling the resonance of one’s own voice in the midst of others is breath-taking. The spiritual reward of a shared endeavor--like singing the Brahms Requiem or the Vaughan Williams ‘Sea Symphony’ or Beethoven’s ‘Ninth Symphony’ or a host of other large choral works--is the thrill of a lifetime. Hopefully ‘Together in Song’ will approximate this community feeling in a small way.”
Tickets for the event at the Paramount are $5 for children ages 3-12 (children under 3 are admitted free), $20 for general admission and $50 for Café Patron Seating. Café Patrons are seated in a reserved mezzanine section of the Paramount Theater with café-style seating and complimentary beverage service. Those who purchase Café Patron seating will also be invited to attend a meet and greet with Rhodes before the show.
Tickets may be purchased online at www.wgby.org/togetherinsong or by calling 781-2801, ext. 247.