Master Chorale To Perform

At St Rose With Steel Drum Band

The Connecticut Master Chorale, under the direction of Tina Johns Heidrich, will present its spring concert on Saturday, May 19, at 8 pm, at St Rose of Lima Church.

The program will feature A Caribbean Mass by Glenn McClure. This exhilarating work, pulsating with Latin American rhythms, is based on the traditional Latin mass and the writings of St Francis of Assisi. It combines the musical styles of samba, salsa, calypso, rumba and New Orleans blues with Greek, Italian, Spanish and Latin texts  accompanied by a Steel Drum Band.

Glenn McClure’s compositions have enjoyed a wide audience in the United States and abroad, with A Caribbean Mass receiving multiple performances at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York City, as well as Mexico, Italy, Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic. The Master Chorale has performed his works in three previous Holiday Prelude Concerts and they have always been enthusiastically received by the audience.

Also on the program is “Songs From My Heart,” a collection of creative and sensational new arrangements of spirituals by a master of spiritual form, André Thomas.

His unique and inspiring interpretations of African-American spirituals are dramatic choral works filled with rich harmonies, lush choral textures, and dynamic contrasts.  While remaining faithful to the soul of the tradition, he uses varied musical influences including swing rhythms and jazz harmonies to express emotions from the poignant and reflective to the optimistic, jubilant, and exhilarating.

Tickets are $18 in advance and $23 at the door. Call 743-0473 or visit CMChorale.org for directions to the church (which is at 46 Church Hill Road) or advance tickets.