The 2023-2024 Concert Season
We are confronted daily with mysteries, conflicts, emotions, joys, heartbreaks, bombast, and silence. In this concert, we use the sea and its unpredictability as an example of all things transitory – and yet, eternal: life, death, love, hope, destruction, success, and failure. The oceans have always been a source of mystery, power, turbulence, and peace. “Oceans” touches on these ideas and emotions from several vantage points showing us how the sea is both wonderful and terrible, ever-changing and eternal.
Power, joy, and peace. All that you expect from great choral music!
Saturday, May 4 at 7:30 PM
All Saints’ Episcopal Church, 6300 North Central Avenue, Phoenix
Sunday, May 5 at 3:00 PM (updated venue)
Ascension Lutheran Church, 7100 North Mockingbird Lane, Paradise Valley
Program
Jacob Narverud: I Hear Oceans
Matthew Lyon Hazzard: As Is the Sea Marvelous
Eric Whitacre: As Is the Sea Marvelous
Dan Forrest: Himenami – The Divine Wave
Jaakko Mäntyjärvi: Canticum Calamitatis Maritimæ
Susan LaBarr: Forever Gone
Gabriel Jackson: A Ship With Unfurled Sails
Matthew Orlovich: Tides of Oceans
Program subject to change without notice
English Madrigals & Masterworks
Hymnes of Heavenly Beautie
Nothing is more magical than the sound of voices blended together in song.
“English Madrigals & Masterworks” celebrates the tradition of unaccompanied singing, from its origin in medieval times to its vitality in the present day. You’ll be entranced by the inspiring and haunting sounds in union with romantic poetry, with texts focused on spirituality, our mortality, and the joys of living.
English poets, Spenser, Vaughn, Davis, Campion, Lockhart, and others, provide an opportunity for lush, expressive choral writing that describes the longing, the elusiveness, and the hope for things within and beyond this life with works from composers Hubert Parry, Charles Stanford, and Edward Elgar, with some Madrigals, both happy and sad. And finally, we invite the audience to join us in “God Save the King” to complete our tour of England.
Saturday, February 10 at 7:30 PM – All Saints’ Episcopal Church, 6300 North Central Avenue, Phoenix
Sunday, February 11 at 2:00 PM – Ascension Lutheran Church, 7100 North Mockingbird Lane, Paradise Valley
Read the Program Notes
We’re delighted to have the
Canticum Novum Chamber Choir
led by Don Morse join us for this concert.
The Program
Hubert Parry: Songs of Farewell
My Soul There is a Country / I Know my Soul Hath Power
Never Weatherbeaten Sail / There is an Old Belief
William Harris: Faire is the Heaven (for double choir)
Stanzas from Edmund Spenser’s poem “An Hymne of Heavely Beautie”
God Save the King
Audience sing-along: With improvisations and descants galore!
Four Madrigals:
Thomas Greaves: Come Away, Sweet Love
John Bennett: Weep, O Mine Eyes
Thomas Weelkes: Sing We at Pleasure
Orlando Gibbons: The Silver Swan
Charles Villiers Stanford: Three Latin Motets, Op. 38
Justorum anime / Coelos ascendit hodie / Beati quorum via
Edward Elgar (arr. John Cameron): Lux Aeterna
A vocal setting of the Requiem Mass finale to Nimrod from the Enigma Variations
Featured Guest Artists: Canticum Novum
Celebrating Christmas: In Terra Pax (Peace on Earth)
With Gerald Finzi’s incomparable meditation on peace for chorus and soloists, plus joyous songs of the season from Morten Lauridsen, Mac Frampton, and our own Darren Herring. And a festive audience carols sing-along gets everyone in the Holiday Spirit. Joy to the World!
Saturday, December 9 at 7:30 PM – All Saints’ Episcopal Church, 6300 North Central Avenue, Phoenix
Sunday, December 10 at 3:00 PM – Ascension Lutheran Church, 7100 North Mockingbird Lane, Paradise Valley
Click Here for concert program details and notes.
Messiah Sing-Along 2023
The Arts at Ascension presents the second annual Sing-Along of George Frederick Handel’s classic holiday oratorio “Messiah”. It’s a free, family holiday fun afternoon, featuring soloists and choristers from The Arizona Masterworks Chorale and Women’s Orchestra of Arizona — and the voices of everyone who loves singing choruses from Handel’s magnificent creation.
Come and sing along, or just sit back and enjoy the greatest Christmas oratorio ever. No rehearsal necessary for singers! If you don’t have a score, click below to download one in PDF.
Sunday, November 19 at 3:00 PM
Ascension Lutheran Church, 7100 North Mockingbird Lane, Paradise Valley
The Program
Sinfonia (Overture: Orchestra)
Ev’ry Valley (David Fetz, Tenor Soloist)
Chorus: And the glory of the Lord
Thus Saith the Lord / But who may abide (Sague Molina, Bass Soloist)
Chorus: And He shall purify
Behold, a virgin shall conceive (Mackenzie Nelson, Alto Soloist)
Chorus: O thou that tellest good tiding to Zion
The people that walked in darkness (Sague Molina, Bass Soloist)
Chorus: For unto us a child is born
Pifa (Pastoral: Orchestra)
There were shepherds … And suddenly there was with the angel (Sarah Smith, Soprano Soloist)
Chorus: Glory to God in the Highest
Rejoice, greatly (Sarah Smith, Soprano Soloist)
He shall feed his flock (Mackenzie Nelson, Alto Soloist and Sarah Smith, Soprano Soloist )
Chorus: His yoke is easy
Chorus: Halleluja!
No rehearsal is required!
Bring your own choral score or download one at the link below, and join in the fun.
Admission is free, donations are requested to benefit all Arts at Ascension members.D
Programs are subject to change without notice.