Choirs, Orchestra to Present Gold Series Concert Oct. 26

Stravinsky, Duruflé and a piece by former Illinois State University Music faculty member David Feurzeig are on the program of the annual large-scale collaboration between the choral program and orchestra program in ISU's School of Music.

The concert, which is part of the School of Music Gold Series, will take place at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 26, in the Center for the Performing Arts Concert Hall.  Karyl Carlson, director of Choral Activities, will conduct the Civic Chorale, Concert Choir and Symphony Orchestra.  Tickets are available at (309) 438-2535 at the CPA box office, which is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.  Tickets are $6 for the general public, $5 for faculty-staff and $4 for students and senior citizens.     

Feurzeig was at Illinois State for a decade before taking a position last summer at the University of Vermont.  His composition, which he dedicated to Carlson and the Concert Choir, was written as a memoriam to Igor Stravinsky.  It will be accompanied by a brass quintet and will be a prelude to Stravinsky's "Symphony of Psalms."

The rarely hear "Symphony of Psalms" was composed at the request of Serge Koussevitzky to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1930. The text includes verses from Psalms 38, 39 and 150.

The Duruflé "Requiem," Carlson said, is lyrical, pastoral, comforting, sweeping and full of color.  Duruflé dedicated the piece to his father.