You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
frankfortstation.com life & arts<br />
the frankfort station | December 6, 2018 | 17<br />
Chorale to perform Christmas show under new director<br />
Elise Greene<br />
became the group’s<br />
artistic director<br />
earlier this year<br />
Amanda Villiger<br />
Assistant Editor<br />
What began as a small<br />
advertisement for singers to<br />
join a community choir has<br />
grown and endured the years<br />
to become a distinguished<br />
group of dedicated vocalists.<br />
The Lincoln-Way Area<br />
Choral’s annual holiday concert<br />
has become a community<br />
tradition, with many of<br />
the same favorite pieces being<br />
revisited year after year.<br />
Along with the classics,<br />
this year’s “Sing we now<br />
of Christmas” show will include<br />
a variety of new songs<br />
and feature the group’s<br />
new artistic director: Elise<br />
Greene.<br />
Greene was a guest conductor<br />
for one song during<br />
the group’s spring concert,<br />
but officially took over as<br />
the group’s artistic director<br />
after Greg Day’s retirement.<br />
One of the group’s biggest<br />
challenges as a community<br />
choir is that they only practice<br />
once per week, but take<br />
the same amount of music<br />
for a concert that a professional<br />
organization might.<br />
“We have 22 pieces of music<br />
on this concert,” Greene<br />
said.<br />
With such a lengthy concert<br />
planned, individual and<br />
sectional practices outside<br />
of the weekly Monday night<br />
rehearsals have been crucial<br />
for the singers.<br />
“We’re real excited to be<br />
singing this under her," Ken<br />
Reed, bass singer and member<br />
of the chorale’s board.<br />
Andrea Thompson, who<br />
has also been with the chorale<br />
since the beginning, said<br />
Green brings a lot of energy<br />
Director Elise Greene leads a Lincoln-Way Area Chorale<br />
practice on at Peace Community Church in Frankfort. The<br />
chorale will perform their annual holiday concert titled<br />
“Sing we now of Christmas” at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 9 at<br />
Lincoln-Way East High School.<br />
to the group.<br />
“She really keeps everybody<br />
focused and has<br />
worked very hard at doing<br />
things to prepare the chorale,”<br />
said Thompson, who<br />
sings alto in the group.<br />
The work required to put<br />
together a concert makes<br />
for a lot of work for everyone<br />
involved, but Reed said<br />
the group is extremely dedicated<br />
to what they do, which<br />
is what makes their level of<br />
performances possible.<br />
“It’s an organization that<br />
you can really believe in because<br />
it’s so much fun, it’s<br />
so good to do,” Reed said,<br />
“and it feels so good when<br />
you perform. It’s such a high<br />
when you get done with a<br />
concert.”<br />
While the chorale will certainly<br />
be singing some difficult<br />
and classical pieces during<br />
their concert, many of<br />
the songs are classic carols<br />
and fun pieces that everyone<br />
will enjoy.<br />
“We have a really wide<br />
variety of different genres of<br />
songs we’re going to do, so<br />
“Sing We Now of<br />
Christmas”<br />
presented by the Lincoln-<br />
Way Chorale<br />
When: 3 p.m. Sunday,<br />
Dec. 9<br />
Where: Lincoln-Way East<br />
Performing Arts Center,<br />
201 Colorado Ave. in<br />
Frankfort.<br />
Cost: $18 for adults<br />
and $16 for seniors and<br />
students<br />
Tickets: www.lwac.com<br />
or call (708) 479-1863<br />
anything from really, really<br />
traditional things — we’re<br />
doing the first movement<br />
of Ruttar’s ‘Gloria,’ we’re<br />
doing the ‘Hallelujah Chorus,’”<br />
Greene said, “We’re<br />
doing some novelty pieces<br />
like ‘Sleigh Ride’ and ‘Twas<br />
the Night Before Christmas,’<br />
and we’re doing some others<br />
that are some softer lullabytype<br />
pieces and everything<br />
in between.”<br />
One of the more unique<br />
pieces the group will be<br />
Michele Sutter and Sarah Bang rehearse with the Lincoln-Way Chorale on Nov. 26 at Peace<br />
Community Church in Frankfort. Photos by Amanda Villiger/22nd Century Media<br />
Gordon Greene (left), Ken Reed (middle) and Mike Buchanan rehearse with the Lincoln-<br />
Way Chorale on Nov. 26.<br />
singing is a new take on an<br />
old favorite: “The 12 Days<br />
of Christmas.” The Canadian<br />
Brass rendition will feature<br />
a different composer on<br />
each day accompanied by a<br />
snippet of music written by<br />
them.<br />
For the pieces involving<br />
brass players, the group will<br />
employ the talents of five<br />
professional players, as well<br />
as high school students from<br />
Andrew High School in Tinley<br />
Park and Marian Catholic<br />
High School in Chicago<br />
Heights.<br />
The upcoming “Sing we<br />
now of Christmas” show<br />
will also feature a children’s<br />
choir from Fernway Park Elementary<br />
School, which will<br />
join the Lincoln-Way Area<br />
chorale for the final two<br />
pieces of the concert.<br />
“I think the (holiday concerts)<br />
are feel-good concerts<br />
for the audience [and] for<br />
the performers, too,” Greene<br />
said. “I think it’s just a whole<br />
spirit that goes with it, and I<br />
think it’s very joyous.”<br />
The chorale will perform<br />
“Sing we now of Christmas”<br />
at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 9<br />
at Lincoln-Way East High<br />
School. For tickets, visit<br />
www.lwac.com or call (708)<br />
479-1863 or (815) 469-1010.
Change language