Bridgewater College Chorale to tour Ireland, Scotland

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Following commencement on Sunday, May 15, the 24-voice Bridgewater College Chorale will leave May 17 for a 12-day concert tour in Ireland and Scotland. The ensemble will perform in prestigious venues in Belfast, Dublin, and Edinburgh. President George Cornelius and his wife, Susan, will travel with the group along with some of the college’s alumni.

The Chorale is directed by Jesse E. Hopkins, the Edwin L. Turner Distinguished Professor of Music at Bridgewater. The repertory includes works from the Baroque era through contemporary classical music. Among the pieces the Chorale will perform are “Ave Maria” by Tomas Luis da Victoria, “Three Chorale Settings” from Jesu, meine Freude by J.S. Bach, “Climb to the Top of the Highest Mountain” by Carolyn Jennings, “God is Gone Up” by Gerald Finzi and Egil Hovland’s “Saul.” The Chorale’s repertory also includes two Negro spirituals by Moses Hogan, “The Battle of Jericho” and “Elijah Rock” and René Clausen’s “Simple Gifts” and “Deep River.” The program includes “God Be Merciful” by Hopkins.

Mary Beth Flory, adjunct instructor of music, will serve as piano accompanist.

The Chorale, selected by audition in the spring of each year, prepares two programs annually – a choreographed program of popular music and a sacred concert. Students from a variety of majors and all class levels comprise the ensemble.

Each year, the group tours the Eastern United States, performing distinctive choral literature for churches, schools and civic organizations. In May 2008, the Chorale traveled to Hungary and Austria for its sixth international concert tour, which included performances in Budapest, Vienna and Salzburg.

Hopkins, a 1970 graduate of Bridgewater College, holds a master of music education degree from James Madison University and a doctorate in choral music education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He joined the Bridgewater faculty in 1977.

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