What: The College of Music’s A Cappella Choir presents Blessed are they… a celebration of its 75th anniversary season. The concert features Herbert Howells’ Take Him, Earth, For Cherishing, written for President John F. Kennedy’s memorial service, and Benjamin Britten’s Rejoice in the Lamb, in honor of what would have been Britten’s 100th birthday.
When: 8 p.m. Nov. 19 (Tuesday)
Where: Winspear Hall in the Murchison Performing Arts Center, 2100 Interstate 35E, in Denton. The concert will also be streamed online at http://UNTmusiclive.com.
Tickets: $10 for adults; $8 for seniors, non-UNT students, children, UNT faculty, staff and retirees, and groups of 10 or more; free for UNT students with valid ID. UNT student tickets must be picked up in person at the Murchison Box Office. Purchase tickets online at www.theMPAC.com/tickets or by calling the Murchison Box Office at 940-369-7802.
Additional Information: The A Cappella Choir seeks contact information for choir alumni for a reception following the concert. Send names and information on alumni to Dr. Jerry McCoy at Jerry.McCoy@unt.edu or visit the official UNT A Cappella Facebook page at Facebook.com/UNTACappellaChoir.
DENTON, Texas (UNT) – The UNT College of Music’s A Cappella Choir celebrates its rich history with Blessed are they…, a 75th anniversary concert on Nov. 19 (Tuesday) at Winspear Hall in Denton. A Cappella Choir alumni are invited to a reception following the concert.
Conducted by Dr. Jerry McCoy, who won the 2013 Texas Choral Directors Association’s Choirmaster Award, the concert features Herbert Howells’ Take Him, Earth, For Cherishing, written for President John F. Kennedy’s memorial service, and Benjamin Britten’s Rejoice in the Lamb, in honor of what would have been Britten’s 100th birthday.
“Born in the summer of the rising tide of violence in Europe, foreshadowing World War II, the UNT A Cappella Choir has for 75 years striven to sing of love and truth, sorrow and joy, hope and promise, equality, peace, and humanity – all the emotions of man reflected in music from around the globe. We have attempted to paint the pictures of life in song,” said McCoy, a Regents Professor of Music. “We invite our patrons to celebrate our 75th anniversary as we celebrate in song other, important anniversaries of some of the people who shaped our world since 1938, working for peace, equality, and love: President John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa and the composer Benjamin Britten.”
Founded in 1938 by Wilfred Bain, the choir has a rich history that is linked with the initial period of rapid growth of the music program. Bain took the A Cappella Choir on tours throughout Texas, including performances with the Dallas and Houston Symphony Orchestras. The choir also sang regularly on Sunday morning radio broadcasts. Under Bain’s leadership, the notoriety of the A Cappella Choir became one of the factors that helped boost enrollment from 25 students in the music program to 400. Bain later left North Texas to build the music program at Indiana University – and his legacy lives on in the fact that the two schools remain the largest music schools in the country to this day.
The A Cappella Choir has continued to tour nationally and internationally throughout its history. In 1966, the choir toured Europe for three months under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of State, and most recently it traveled to Korea in 2012 as the only American choir invited to perform at the International Choral Festival in Daejeon. The choir has made numerous appearances at conventions of the American Choral Directors Association and Texas Music Educators Association and continues to feature the most talented vocalists at UNT.
The 75th anniversary concert, Blessed are they…, starts at 8 p.m. Nov. 19 (Tuesday) at Winspear Hall in the Murchison Performing Arts Center, 2100 Interstate 35E, in Denton. The concert will also be streamed online at http://UNTmusiclive.com. Tickets are $10 for adults; $8 for seniors, non-UNT students, children, UNT faculty, staff and retirees, and groups of 10 or more; free for UNT students with valid ID. UNT student tickets must be picked up in person at the Murchison Box Office. Purchase tickets online at www.theMPAC.com/tickets or by calling the Murchison Box Office at 940-369-7802.
The A Cappella Choir seeks contact information for choir alumni for a reception following the concert. Send names and information on alumni to Dr. Jerry McCoy at Jerry.McCoy@unt.edu or visit the official UNT A Cappella Facebook page at Facebook.com/UNTACappellaChoir.