Something Old . . . Something New

To paraphrase a song by Carole King, our music is a “tapestry of rich and royal hue…a wonderous woven magic … a tapestry to feel and see, impossible to hold.”  This concert will be a tapestry of something old and something new from many different visions.

For this special concert, Dr. Stanley Roberts, Director of Choral Studies of Mercer University’s Townsend School of Music and conductor for the CSMG since 2014, along with Dr. Gary Gerber, the new Dean of Mercer University’s Townsend School of Music, will weave their talents together as they share the conducting responsibilities.   The accompanist for the chorus is Jonathan A. Poe, organist and choirmaster at Christ Episcopal Church in Macon.

“The spring concert has two meanings for me,” says Dean Gerber.    “It is a mix of old standard choral anthems, such as Randall Thompson’s “Last Words of David” and Mendelssohn’s “He Watching over Israel” combined with new, contemporary choral anthems, including Dan Forrest’s “Ubi caritas” and Eric Whitacre’s “Seal Lullaby.”  The second involves the transition from a well-established conductor of the group for the past nine years to a new conductor establishing his connection and leadership with the chorus.”

“About half the program pieces were selected because they are considered to be ‘standards of the choral repertoire’ for many generations of choral singers,” added Dr. Roberts.    “These selections are weaved together with contemporary choral gems, composed by some of the important, living composers of our time.”