UW Collegiate Chorale presents 'Song of the Soul' Thursday

The University of Wyoming Collegiate Chorale will present its spring concert Thursday, April 3, at 7:30 p.m. in the Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts concert hall.

Directed by Nicole Lamartine, the “Song of the Soul” concert features 46 singers, a chamber orchestra and the premiere of a commissioned work. Tickets cost $10 for the public, $6 for students and $7 for senior citizens, and are available at the UW Performing Arts ticket office, by phone at (307) 766-6666, online at www.uwyo.edu/finearts, or at the door.

Rising composer Forrest Pierce will join Collegiate Chorale for the premiere of his “il cantico del sole,” or “Song of the Sun,” based on the writings of St. Francis of Assisi. Pierce’s music has been described as “sincere, blatantly tuneful, and drawing on both non-western and rock-era traditions to depict an authentic world of sacred unity and natural beauty.” The Collegiate Chorale was the commissioning partner to create this piece.

UW composer Annie Guzzo’s “I Have Loved the Stars,” which depicts, vocally, the multitude of stars in the sky, is another highlight. The text comes from Galileo.

Pieces by 20th century American composer Norman Dello Joio -- a sultry song of love and a riddle about crows and bees featuring Lisa Rickard on piano -- are scheduled with the Pierce and Guzzo works. Other pieces include a Haitian coffee song, an American spiritual and a Renaissance song of heartbreak.