Music of the Masters to perform Gjeilo’s ‘Sunrise Mass’
Ola Gjeilo’s “Sunrise Mass” will highlight this year’s Music of the Masters concert. The concert will be on Sunday, April 28, at 3 p.m. with a preconcert lecture at 2 p.m.
The concert will feature the talents of the Casper College Chamber Singers, Collegiate Chorale, and the Chamber Orchestra. “Bringing together the college choirs and chamber orchestra is always a joy, but the fact that it is an annual collaboration is something to treasure at Casper College — choral and orchestral music is rarely if ever, performed at community colleges at all, let alone every year, so it is a unique experience we are proud to give our students and the Casper community,” said Zachary Vreeman, DMA and choral conductor.
According to Vreeman, Gjeilo’s music is especially attractive to audiences and musicians due to its ethereal and atmospheric qualities, reminiscent of film scoring. “In ‘Sunrise Mass,’ the words aren’t always as important as the soundscape itself, with frequent pairing of driving background rhythms with long sweeping melodies,” he noted.
To complete the concert, reflecting on the idea of sunrise, the CC Chamber Orchestra, under the direction of Jennifer DePaolo, director and strings and orchestra instructor, will perform … “the very familiar ‘Morning Mood’ from Peer Gynt Suite by another master, Edvard Grieg,” Vreeman said. “The CC Chamber Singers will open the concert with one of Gjeilo’s a cappella pieces, ‘Unicornis Captivatur,’ and their own prelude to sunrise, ‘Sure on this Shining Night’ by Morten Lauridsen,” Vreeman added.
The CC Chamber Orchestra is comprised of Arlon Miller, Jonathon Krum, Ana Lockwood, and Preston Rosburg on violin I; Linsey Thomason, Mason Maddox, Susan Stanton, and Timothy Schrak on violin II; Gary DePaolo, Karen Wohlfeld, and Daniel Galbreath on viola; Tim Jones, Jocelyn Jensen, Alexis DePaolo, Ashley Morgan, and Ruby Linman on cello; and Alex Annan on bass.
The CC Chamber Singers include sopranos Katie Baumstarck, Danica Boyce, Allison Caldwell, Eun Seon Kim, and Caroline Weiss; altos Madison Billings, Grace McPherson, Lindsey Scott, and Mala Stagg; tenors James Chappelow, Kevin Kaske, Jeremy Rich, and Josh Simon; and basses Cole Cooper, Mark Heward, Collin Jones, Joshua Knutson, and Owen LaCount.
The CC Collegiate Chorale, with additional guest singers from the Wyoming Choral Arts Ensemble, includes sopranos Katie Baumstarck, Danica Boyce, Ali Caldwell, Bella Garro, Eun Seon Kim, Meghan Murray, Lila Olson, and Lisa Rich; altos Madison Billings, Samantha Boutte, Joan Davies, Paula Flynn, Leah Hoblit, Savannah Kiggans, Rachael Payne, Karen Sandoval, Lindsey Scott, and Natasha Wyse; tenors Kevin Kaske, Alex Rich, and Joshua Simon; and basses Michael Flynn, Roman Gaddis, Collin Jones, Owen LaCount, Mark Mehn, and Fred Taylor.
The concert and preconcert lecture are free and open to the public and will occur in Wheeler Concert Hall, located in the Music Building on the Casper College campus.