Music at Pitt-Greensburg has been busy preparing for performances that will occur November 16, November 17, and November 28.
The Pitt-Greensburg Chorale and Chamber Singers will present two opportunities to enjoy their fall concert:
- Thursday, Nov. 16, at 7:30 p.m. in the Mary Lou Campana Chapel and Lecture Center (University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, 150 Finoli Drive, Greensburg, PA 15601);
- Friday, Nov. 17, at 7:30 p.m. at the Newlonsburg Presbyterian Church in Murrysville, PA.
Joining the Chorale and Chamber Singers in concert will be the Campana Consort, a newer student-driven instrumental music group at the campus. The theme, “We Grow Stronger,” runs through the selections the three groups will be performing.
The Chorale will perform the following pieces:
- Jocelyn Hagen: One Step, Belong, Practice
- Tim Takach: Insidious
- Gyorgy Orban: Daemon Irrepit Callidus
- W.A. Mozart: Ave Verum Corpus
- Joseph Eybler: Domine Si
The Chamber Singers will perform two selections:
- Igor Stravinsky: Ave Maria
- Franz Liszt: Salve Regina
The Campana Consort will focus on the following:
- Music of Film: Disney, Dreamworks, and more
Chris Bartley, director of music at Pitt-Greensburg, found the seeds for this semester’s concert program during a recent trip to Croatia where he met and performed with composers Tim Takach and Jocelyn Hagen.
“Tim and Jocelyn are a super-star composer couple out of Minnesota who are becoming widely known for their work,” said Bartley. “We will be performing three of Jocelyn’s pieces that talk about how we grow through each step and through practice. Tim’s piece is inspired by the film Insidious.” Bartley explains that a whispered line in the film, “He grows stronger,” refers to a demon, but the selection following that piece illustrates how we grow stronger as we defend ourselves in this battle. The second portion of the program looks at how we find strength and spirit through the distinctly classical, traditional, and sacred.
“There are things that are accessible and joyous, too—especially through the Campana Consort’s selections,” said Bartley. “They have created arrangements of music from the Disney films, Mulan, How to Train Your Dragon, Tangled.” He went on to highlight the final selection in the program, noting, “One of the great joys is the joint performance of Leonard Cohen’s beautiful Hallelujah by our instrumentalists and vocalists.”
On Tuesday, Nov. 28, at 7:30 p.m. in the Mary Lou Campana Chapel and Lecture Center, students participating in Pitt-Greensburg’s Voice and Piano Studio will perform. These are the students working with Chelsea Ritenour and Matt Klumpp. The audience for this concert should expect a diverse and varied selection of music that is based on the students’ individual preferences and selections.
Pitt-Greensburg’s Voice and Piano programs allow students to start or continue their vocal or piano studies through intensive, one-on-one, entirely individualized weekly lessons. The lessons challenge students to hone their technical and musical skills using a variety of methods, repertoire, and experiences. Supplementing the weekly lessons are studio classes that assist in preparing for the Studio Recital at the conclusion of each semester. The students participating in the Voice and Piano programs are selected via an audition and interview process.