HWS News
3 April 2017 • Arts Chorale and Cantori Begin Tour
Embarking on the annual spring tour, members of the Hobart and William Smith Colleges Chorale and Cantori recently performed in Lansing, N.Y., Springfield, Va., and Annapolis, Md. They will conclude the semester with two performances at the Gearan Center for the Performing Arts.
Led by director and Professor of Music Robert Cowles each spring, the group performs a variety of choral literature during a four-day tour that rotates each year between New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. and Boston. The tour concludes with concerts in Geneva.
This year, the program includes works by William Byrd, Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, George Frideric Handel, Johannes Brahms, Eric Whitacre, Lee R. Kesselman, and others.
A mixed ensemble, the Chorale is comprised of the finest student vocal talent on campus. With 35 members, the group performs a wide range of works, ranging from a selection of pieces from the Middle Ages to the present day. This year, the group has nine graduating seniors.
The Colleges Cantori is a 20-voice select choir performing a variety of a cappella choral literature.
The performance schedule includes:
Friday, March 31, 8 p.m.: All Saints Church in Lansing
Saturday, April 1, 8 p.m.: Kirkwood Presbyterian Church in Springfield
Monday, April 3, 7:30 p.m.: First Presbyterian Church of Annapolis
Wednesday, April 19, 8 p.m.: Froelich Hall, Gearan Center for the Performing Arts
Saturday, April 22, 8 p.m. Froelich Hall, Gearan Center for the Performing Arts.
Cowles chairs the HWS Music Department and has been a member of the faculty since 1992, directing choral ensembles and teaching music theory and conducting. He also is artistic director of the Seneca Camerata, a semi-professional chamber choir. Cowles is known as a champion of new music, having conducted numerous world-premiere performances during his tenure.
Admission is free for all concerts; donations are gratefully accepted.
