Free concerts in Oregon and California, March 12–26: Ashland, San Francisco, Hayward, and Cameron Park.
TACOMA, Wash. – The Adelphian Concert Choir will perform music on themes ranging from “songs of the people” to “love” to “adventures in sound” as they tour the Pacific Northwest this spring.
University of Puget Sound’s celebrated 44-voice student ensemble will give free public concerts in Oregon, California, and Washington state at churches, a grand cathedral, and college campuses, from Saturday, March 12, to Saturday, March 26.
“This will be one of the widest repertoires of music we’ve performed in one program,” said Adelphian conductor and director Steven Zopfi. “We have a Gregorian chant; and Ave Maria, by Edmund Hughes; and a new piece, She Walks in Beauty, written by one of Zopfi’s former students, Andrew Jacobson and based on a poem by Lord Byron.
“It’s going to be a fascinating tour because the Adelphians get to sing in all kinds of different spaces. They will be singing choral pieces in a large cathedral, performing on the campus of California State University in the East Bay, and singing in a choir room, with local high school choirs.”
Everyone is welcome to the free concerts, and no tickets are required. The program will include choral music written by leading composers from Austria, America, Germany, Estonia, and Italy.
Beginning with an introduction of folk flavor and melody, the Adelphians will transition to songs of love, including Set Me as a Seal, from René Clausen, and Johannes Brahms’ Neckerein, Opus 31, No.2. The program overall will blend traditional melodies with colorful modern harmonies and soaring piano scores with celebratory voices. Some of the pieces are rooted in African-American culture, others blend in flavors of modern a cappella, while others are expressions of religious ecstasy.
The Adelphian Concert Choir includes some of the University of Puget Sound’s most talented School of Music student vocalists, many of whom anticipate music careers. At one concert, the Adelphians will be joined by choirs from Ponderosa High School and Oakridge High School. The concert tour schedule is as follows:
Saturday, March 12, 7:30 p.m.
Trinity Episcopal Church
44 N. 2nd Street
Ashland, Ore.
Sunday, March 13, 4 p.m.
Grace Cathedral Church
1100 California St.
San Francisco, Calif.
Monday, March 14, at 7 p.m.
California State University, East Bay
25800 Carlos Bee Blvd.
Hayward, Calif.
Tuesday, March 15, 7 p.m. (with Ponderosa and Oak Ridge High School choirs)
Faith Episcopal Church
2200 Country Club Drive
Cameron Park, Calif.
Saturday, March 26, at 2 p.m.
Schneebeck Concert Hall
University of Puget Sound
1500 N. Warner Street
Tacoma
Founded in 1932, the Adelphian Concert Choir is a student group in the School of Music at the University of Puget Sound. Members of the choir are selected through auditions, and about half of the students are declared music majors. The Adelphians have attracted accolades from audiences in Canada, Europe, and on the U.S. West Coast. They consistently receive the highest acclaim for their repertoire, interpretation, and musicianship.
Steven Zopfi, one of the leading young conductors in the Pacific Northwest, joined the Puget Sound faculty in fall 2008 as director of choral activities and conductor of the Adelphian Concert Choir. Zopfi has a bachelor’s degree in music education from The Hartt School of music, a Master of Music degree in conducting from the University of California, Irvine, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in choral conducting from the University of Colorado. His career has included singing with The City of Prague Philharmonic and New Jersey Symphony orchestras, conducting world premieres of new music, and serving with professional music associations. Currently, the artistic director and conductor of Portland Symphonic Choir, the official chorus of the Oregon Symphony, Zopfi, are in constant demand as a conductor, adjudicator, and clinician.
University of Puget Sound School of Music is the only national liberal arts college in the Northwest to be accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music and offer a full symphony orchestra, concert band, jazz band, and comprehensive choral program. The school offers three professional degrees for undergraduates.
Press photos of the Adelphian Concert Choir can be downloaded from pugetsound.edu/pressphotos
Photos on page: From top right: Adelphian Concert Choir, with conductor Steven Zopfi (by Ross Mulhausen); Grace Cathedral Church in San Francisco (by Daderot)
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