South Burlington Chorus, Mad River Chorale join voices for spring concert

Under the direction of their respective conductors, Erik Kroncke and Mary Jane Austin, South Burlington Community Chorus and Mad River Chorale will jointly present their spring concerts in two different venues.

The combined concerts will be held Friday, May 10, 7:30 p.m., at Elley-Long Music Center in Colchester, and on Sunday, May 12, 4 p.m., at the Green Mountain Valley School in Fayston.

The program features two works each by Mozart and Fauré, one work composed in their youth, and one composed after they matured as composers. It will end with a song by Leonard Bernstein featured in the recent movie “Maestro.”

There will be about 100 singers on stage, accompanied by a small string ensemble, including harp.

Selections by Faure include “Cantique de Jean Racine,” where he set playwright Racine’s text to music for a competition at the École Niedermeyer de Paris at the age of 19. The second Fauré selection, his “Requiem,” was composed in his 40s.

Mozart set the text of “Te Deum laudamus” to music at the age of 13, while “Ave verum corpus” is a communion hymn composed in the year he died at 35. Mozart composed this short work while also working on his opera, “Die Zauberflöte” (“The Magic Flute”).

Bernstein composed “Make Our Garden Grow” as the conclusion for the operetta, “Candide,” based on the novella by Voltaire. The choral groups will sing an arrangement by Robert Page.

For tickets and information, visit sbchorusvt.org for the May 10 performance, or madriverchorale.org for the May 12 performance.

The South Burlington Community Chorus was founded in 1976 and is partially funded by the South Burlington Recreation and Parks Department.