May 17, 2024, 6pm - Catholic Church Mariä Himmelfahrt, Kirchenstraße 2, 67731 Otterbach
May 18, 2024, 6pm - Gustav-Adolf-Church, Erzhütterstraße 68, 67659 Kaiserslautern
I was singing with my sisters and my brothers, I was singing with my friends.
And we all can sing together, ‘cause the circle never ends!
(from „Will the Circle Be Unbroken“)
The motto "Circle" was inspired by our opening song "Will the Circle Be Unbroken". It is symbolic of the community of the choir, from whose midst the instrumental support of the program and numerous solos also come.
In his concert review in the Rheinpfalz of May 19th, Reiner Henn called the concert a "huge success" and wrote:
"There are concerts where you know from the first bars “where the journey is going”. When three soloists (Haley Maddox, Gosia Schulze, soprano, and Noel Sprenkle, alto) began by singing Charles Gabriel's first contribution alone in the sanctuary in a moving trio and then gradually formed a harmonious, expressive tonal unity with the solemn entry of the following choristers, it was already obvious that something special, magnificent and perhaps unique and of rare value was being created. Solemn, sublime sounds break through the silence, intensifying and inspiring each other. Magnificent, and that at the beginning! Subsequently, a sophisticated interplay of soloists, vocal ensembles and full choir developed, which provided as much variety as the performed repertoire itself (...)"
Our program consisted of the following songs:
Will the Circle Be Unbroken - Trad. Appalachian/B. Rose, C. Winter & M. Taylor, arr. J. David Moore
Hear My Prayer, O Lord - Henry Purcell
Abendlied - Josef Rheinberger
Dark and Luminous Night - Ola Gjeilo
Dies Irae - Michael John Trotta
Good Night Dear Heart - Dan Forrest
Wannabe (as an English Madrigal) - Spice Girls, arr. Nathan Howard
Seasons of Love - Jonathan D. Larson, arr. Roger Emerson (small ensemble)
City Called Heaven - arr. Josephine Poelinitz
Wade in the Water - arr. Rob Dietz
Helplessly Hoping - Stephen Stills (small ensemble)
Wanting Memories - Ysaye M. Barnwell
Into the Woods (Act I Opening) - Stephen Sondheim, arr. Mark Brymer
Nyon Nyon - Jake Runestad
The Sound of Silence - Paul Simon, arr. Mac Huff
Encore: I Can See Clearly Now - Johnny Nash, arr. Larry Nickel