Marshall Community Chorus to remember fallen in first concert of season

Marshall Community Chorus will present its first concert of the 2011-2012 season at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 23, in the Little Theatre at Marshall High School,

The concert is designed to honor in music those who have died for their country or as a result of terrorism, according to Director Ron Sayer.

The idea for this concert originated a year ago as Sayer was thinking about what the choir could do to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

"As I thought more about it, I realized we also couldn't miss the opportunity to include the 150th anniversary of the Civil War and that led me to think about Veterans Day just two weeks after our concert, and then I realized that 2011 also marked the 70th anniversary of Dec. 7 and before I knew it a concert was born."

Sayer decided early on that he didn't want this to be just a reflective concert but also a concert that celebrates America, so the program is divided into two sections.

The first contains music that might cause one to reflect on the events and those who are no longer with us. The second section represents the healing process, with more upbeat music ending with a clear flourish of patriotism.

The concert opens with three selections aligned to flow together without pause by the composers Gabriel Faure and John Rutter.

The opening will also feature poetry read by Harry Carrell, written by Alfred Lord Tennyson, Toge Sankichi, who is a survivor of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima, and an anonymous survivor of the World Trade Center attack.

The opening three selections will also feature cello soloists Russell Gann and tenor soloist Jacob Newell, who is a student at State Fair Community College.

Additional selections include "In Flanders Field," in memory of those who died in World War I, "Inscription of Hope," which is based on a text written by an unknown victim of the Holocaust, and "Epitaph" which contains the familiar words "do not stand at my grave and weep. I am not there, I do not sleep."

The second half of the concert begins with a setting of Isaac Watts' famous poem "Oh God Our Help in Ages Past" by Kansas composer Eugene Butler and then continues with several pieces by English composer John Rutter.

One of these pieces, "Look to the Day," was written for a thanksgiving service for cancer survivors and so is very appropriate for Cancer Awareness month.

The second half of the concert will also include a beautiful Jewish song, "Al Shlosha D'varim," whose text very simply sums up the key to harmony; "the world is sustained by three things, by truth, by justice, and by peace."

The concert will conclude with several crowd favorites; "Yankee Doodle Boy," "You're a Grand Old Flag," and "America the Beautiful."

The Marshall Community Chorus consists of 45 volunteers from throughout Saline, Lafayette and Pettis counties and is celebrating its 23rd anniversary.

Sayer, until recently was Director of Choirs at Marshall High School and who now serves as Director of Choirs at State Fair Community College, will direct the choir during the concert. The group will be accompanied on piano by Julie Lewis.

All MCC concerts are free and open to the public. The Little Theatre of Marshall High School is handicapped accessible.