St. Charles Singers to offer Mozart rarities
Jul 25, 2017 09:52AM ● By Ben Scott
ST. CHARLES, Ill., June 30, 2017 — The St. Charles Singers will launch its
34th concert season this fall with a new installment of the professional
chamber choir’s “Mozart Journey,” its multiyear project to perform Wolfgang
Amadeus Mozart’s complete sacred choral music.
The mixed-voice ensemble, conducted by founder and music director Jeffrey Hunt,
and the Metropolis Chamber Orchestra will present “Mozart Journey XII” at 7:30
p.m. on Saturday, September 30, at Baker Memorial United Methodist Church, 307
Cedar Ave., St. Charles; and at 4 p.m. on Sunday, October 1, at St. Mary
Catholic Church, 397 Fulton St., Elgin.
“Audiences will hear some of Mozart’s lesser-known but most transcendent choral
works,” Hunt says.
Featuring a choir of 32 voices, the twelfth installment in the Mozart Journey series
offers music that will appeal to those who enjoy Mozart’s symphonies and
operas, Hunt says.
The “Litaniae de venerabili altaris sacramento” (Litany in Honor of the Blessed
Sacrament) in B-flat Major, K. 125, enlists soprano, alto, tenor, and bass soloists;
four-part chorus; and an orchestra of woodwinds, brass, and strings, with organ
accompaniment.
A highlight of Mozart’s festive “Regina coeli” (Queen of Heaven) in C Major, K.
108, is a delicate, demanding operatic soprano solo with florid passages and
wide vocal leaps. The uplifting final movement has been compared to a miniature
symphony finale.
Mozart’s “Misericordias Domini” (Mercies of the Lord) in D Minor, K.222, has
been described as a “masterpiece of counterpoint.” Mozart wrote it to demonstrate
his skill at writing multiple melody lines that work perfectly together.
A preconcert lecture by Wheaton College Professor of Music Jonathan Saylor will
begin an hour before each Mozart Journey performance.
Tickets and Information
Single tickets for the “Mozart Journey XII” concert are $35 adult general
admission, $30 for seniors 65 and older, and $10 for students.
Tickets and general information about the St. Charles Singers are available at www.stcharlessingers.com
or by calling (630) 513-5272. Tickets are also available at Townhouse Books,
105 N. Second Ave., St. Charles (checks or cash only at this ticket venue).
Tickets may also be purchased at the door on the day of the concert, depending
on availability. Group discounts are available.
