Photo by Rob Merrifield
Richard Riley conducts the Bur-lington Choral Society which includes members from Shelburne and Charlotte.
The Burlington Choral Society presents Baltic Heartbeat: Music from Lithuania, Saturday, Nov. 23, 7:30 p.m., at the College Street Congregational Church in Burlington. It is the third and final concert in their three-part series featuring a musical tour of the three Baltic nations, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
Artistic director Richard Riley leads the chorus, which includes members from Shelburne and Charlotte, along with soloists and instrumentalists including pianist and organist Jenny Bower, flautist Berta Frank, oboist Katie Evans-Oprea and Jim Duncan on trumpet.
The group will perform a joyful “Magnificat,” and the choral program features the Lithuanian national anthem, as well as an array of traditional and folk songs.
“Lithuania’s distinctive choral style features ‘music of the people,’ as political turmoil has greatly influenced how Lithuanian music is disseminated and heard internationally,” said Riley. “There’s rich repertoire for the church, but equally interesting and distinctive are pieces from folk traditions. I have tried to enter into this remarkable culture by arranging three of the traditional songs myself.”
Honoring the legacy of Lithuanian Jews who began settling in Vermont in the late 19th century, one of the concert’s highlights is a solo performance by alto Julie Robbins, who performs the poignant Yiddish song “Unter dayne vayse shtern” (under your white stars).
For more information about the concert and where to get tickets, visit www.bcsvermont.org.
