2019

The oratorio “Messiah” for solo voices and choir by George Frideric Handel is one of the most popular examples of sacred music. In our concert for the advent season, we performed part 1 of the oratorio and the “Hallelujah”. A few seasonal songs completed our program.

With this performance, the choir returned to its musical origins: 34 years ago, in December of 1985, a “Messiah” choral project of the church choirs of the US military communities in the area sparked the formation of the Rheinland-Pfalz International Choir.

This was our last concert under the direction of Jennifer Hsiung, who will return to the US in January 2020.

In the atmospheric setting of the Stiftskirche Courtyard in downtown Kaiserslautern, we  presented a 30 minute program of songs for the winter and advent times. Our short program had the following pieces:

• Noel - Brad Holmes

• Il est ne le divin enfant - Arr. John Rutter

• Baba Yetu - Christopher Tin

• Still, still, still - Arr. Norman Luboff

• Ya Viene La Vieja - Arr. Audrey Snyder

• The Parting Glass - Irish Trad., Arr.: Stephen Ross, Benjamin Lunstad

• White Christmas - Irving Berlin, Arr. Mac Huff

Our concerts on June 1st and 2nd presented a program full of diversity - both musical and thematic, as one can guess from our concert motto. “Praise” - a selection of sacred songs and spirituals by Palestrina, Berlioz, Fauré, Aguiar, Casals, Hayes, and Tin. “Prost” - songs about drinking, sociability, and parting by Offenbach and Brahms, as well as from the songbook of Irish folk music. Additional songs by Darmon Meader, and Clara Schumann, whose 200th birthday is celbrated this year, were topping off the program compiled by our director Jennifer Hsiung.

In his review of the June 1st concert for the Rheinpfalz newspaper, Reiner Henn characterizes the “custom-made sound garment” acquired by the choir over the last years and writes:

The impressive choral sound lives from a noticeable expressiveness and is carried by lyrical enthusiasm. It is inspired by a lively joy of musicianship and pronounced will to vividly characterize text content and musical refinements.