Composer to attend SVC show featuring his piece
By Tricia Kline For The Daily Item
SUNBURY — On Sunday, the Susquehanna Valley Chorale will open its new concert season performing before an audience that will include the composer of the featured composition, Gloria.
Michael J. Glasgow, of Raleigh, N.C., is an award-winning composer of organ, handbell and choral works, with more than 60 commissions to his name and more than 23 years in a full-time church-music career. In June 2017, he made his debut at Carnegie Hall with his “Requiem” for chorus and orchestra, which he then took it to its European premiere in Vienna in June 2019. He has traveled throughout the United States and the world with more than 170 engagements. He has been named a Distinguished Composer and Conductor by MidAmerica Productions, and will return to Carnegie Hall in June to conduct Gloria.
Dr. Bill Payn, music director and conductor of the Susquehanna Valley Chorale, said they were looking forward to Glasgow also being around for their dress rehearsals and offering insights about his creative process.
“Michael is a dynamic, energizing musician who connects well with people and music, and as such is sought after for conducting engagements throughout the country and abroad,” Payn said.
According to Payn, 80 singers will be performing, accompanied by a large orchestra.
They will open the concert performing Gloria, which he said is in three movements reflecting the Latin text, “Gloria in Excelsis Deo.” The first, he said is “jubilant praise,” the second “a quiet prayer,” and the third, “an explosive celebration culminating in ecstatic ‘Amens.’”
Then, during the second half of the program, SVC will perform Te Deum “We Praise Thee O God” by Czech composer Antonin Dvorak.
“The full forces of orchestra, soloists and 80 singers is, at times, quite overwhelming,” he said. “It is only 20 minutes long, but fills those 20 minutes with dramatic impact and a rich tradition of a choral classic.”
Payn, who will retire in May after 30 years as the conductor and music director of the chorale and orchestra, said he chose these two selections for the first concert of his final season “because of their celebratory nature and because I have always enjoyed coupling a new work with a well-known choral masterpiece.”
The program will feature two guest soloists, soprano Jill Gardner and bass/baritone Tim LeFebvre.
The music, the singers and the “visual grandeur of Zion Lutheran Church,” Payn said, is why he’s calling this performance a “choral/orchestral spectacular.”
“This extraordinary performance will surely highlight the chorale’s rich history and showcase the incredible talent of our singers, instrumentalists and soloists,” he said.
While the SVC’s performances each season take place at various venues, Payn said for his final year he has chosen to perform three of them at the church, “because it has consistently remained my most favorite environment for choral/orchestra concerts. It is a beautiful structure with a highvaulted ceiling that lends itself to the perfect acoustic for our performances.”
Kelly Beard, executive director of the SVC, said their mission is “to inspire a love of great choral music,” and that mission includes both historic classic work and contemporary pieces. Exactly what Sunday’s concert will bring to the audience.
“Continuing our mission means keeping choral music alive in the valley area and touching the hearts of the community in a unique and meaningful way,” she said. “Think of life without music and how quiet our dreams would be without a melody to inspire us.”
Read more: Susquehanna Valley Chorale to perform ‘Gloria’ and ‘Te Deum’ at Sunday concert
