Choral concert to celebrate patron saint of music
Skidmore’s Community Chorus and Vocal Chamber Ensemble will perform in concert at 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16, inthe Arthur Zankel Music Center.
More than 100 voices make up the Skidmore Community Chorus, including Skidmore faculty, staff, students, and community members. The Vocal Chamber Ensemble, a select group of 20 singers drawn from the Skidmore College Chorus, performs a wide range of repertoire from all periods, including madrigals, part songs, choral works, and operatic ensembles.
Under the direction of Katie Gardiner, the Nov. 16 concert will feature Handel’s Ode for St. Cecilia’s Day and Alexander’s Feast, both of which celebrate Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of musicians, whose feast day is Nov. 22. The concert will also include respected English poet Tennyson’s There is Sweet Music Here.
Saint Cecilia is said to have heard heavenly music inside her heart when she was forced to marry the pagan Valerian. She is the acclaimed patron saint of music, especially church music, as well as that of musicians, composers, instrument makers and poets. The legend about Cecilia’s death says that after being struck three times on the neck with a sword, she lived for three days, and asked the pope to convert her home into a church. Christian lore notes that Cecilia sang in her heart as well as with her voice. She symbolizes a longstanding belief that good music is an integral part of the liturgy.
Admission for the Nov. 16 Skidmore Community Chorus and Vocal Chamber Ensemble concert is free for students and children, $8 adults, and $5 seniors and Skidmore community. For advance reservations and information, please click here or call the Zankel box office (518) 580-5321. The Zankel Music Center is wheelchair accessible and offers listening devices for the hearing impaired.
