SEMO Chamber, University choirs to present concert

The Southeast Missouri State University Department of Music will present the first choral concert of the 2023-24 season Thursday, Oct. 5, at the River Campus.

The Chamber and University choirs will perform "Our Own Heart's Core", a concert of music addressing issues important to the community and world.

Barbara Lamont, associate professor of music and director of choirs, said she wanted to feature some social justice music along with other issues "that are important to us in the world right now." She said the title for the concert is a "riff" on a line from the poem "The Lake Isle of Innisfree" by William Butler Yeats.

Lamont said Yeats' line, "I hear it in the deep heart's core", fit with her thoughts on relevant issues such as immigration, racism and the wealth-gap.

"I thought of these things hitting at our heart's core just felt right to me," Lamont said.

Lamont said the choirs will perform various selections including "Welcome Table" by Saunder Choi and "No Fairy Tale Here" by Zanaida Robles. Also included are "Hope Lingers On" and "Crowded Table", both arranged by Andrea Ramsey, which Lamont said, welcome everyone to be who they are and to not give up hope for the future.

"The Chamber and University choirs have been working hard and are looking forward to presenting this important music to our community," Lamont said. "We hope to see many folks there."

The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Bedell Performance Hall at 518 S. Fountain St. in Cape Girardeau.

To purchase tickets or for more information, contact the River Campus box office at (573) 651-2289 or online at www.rivercampus.org.