The Salisbury-Rowan Choral Society will present “In Our Time, a Masterworks Celebration of 20th and 21st Century Composers” this Sunday, 3 p.m. at Coburn Memorial United Methodist Church, 901 S. Church St. Admission is free.
The concert will feature both familiar choral standards and rare modern masterpieces. Featured composers include Ralph Vaughn Williams, John Rutter, Jester Hairston and Lloyd Pfautsch.
The concert is part of the Choral Society’s 2008-2009 theme “Let Music Live.” The Choral Society is committed to raising awareness of the need of continued support of music education in our community and schools.
Damien Evans directs the Choral Society.
For more information, visit www.SRChoralSociety.com.
Honors Chorus concertThe Rowan County Elementary Honors Chorus concert will be held at North Rowan High School at 4 p.m. Saturday. The clinician will be Greg Gilpin.
Approximately 150 fifth grade students from 20 elementary schools will be participating, as well as 14 music teachers. The festival is funded by a grant through the Blanche and Julian Robertson Family Foundation.
The public is invited to attend, and donations will be accepted.
Madrigal Dinner The South Rowan Chorus will present its 8th annual English Madrigal Dinner Theater March 27-28. This unique dinner experience will be held in the Family Life Center at Trinity Lutheran Church in Landis.
The fellowship hall will be transformed into a 15th-century castle hall, complete with decor, music and traditional food. The Varsity Singers serve as the royal court in their fashionable, noble garb and the Chorus 2 Ensemble serves as peasant wait staff for the evening. Court jesters and three musketeers will tickle your funny bone with comedy throughout the evening.
The menu will feature a five-course meal served in traditional stages and ceremony, complete with fanfare and song. The menu will consist of wassail (spiced apple cider), soup, salad, a main course meat and vegetables served on a trencher (bread plate which you can later eat) and dessert.
The term “madrigal” refers to the beautiful a cappella music from the Renaissance period that you will hear throughout the evening. Servants will take good care of guests in true English fashion. One of the highlights each year is the men combining for a rousing “Men In Tights” routine, complete with choreography. King Arthur will be played by Daniel Donaldson and Queen Gillian will be Taylor May. Court jesters who narrate the festivities and entertain will be Korey Randall and Sarah King. The lead actors are Sir Lancelot, Arron Tyler and Anastasia, Lindsay Frye and Lady Gloria, Angel Laursen. There will be 75 students involved in this two and a half hour musical theater production.
Jan Gore is choral director at South Rowan. Seating for the madrigal dinner is from 6 to 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $20. Call 704-857-1161 ext. 400 to contact Mrs. Gore for more information or for tickets.
Children’s concert
CONCORD ó This Saturday at 10:30 a.m. at The Old Court House Theatre, 49 Spring St. NW, Concord, a children’s concert will be presented by the Piedmont Prime Time Community Band.
The band will play music geared for children, allowing them to see and hear how the music is made.
The program will feature tunes from two favorite children’s shows: “Sesame Street” and “Spongebob SquarePants.” There will also be “creature songs” with selections from the “Carnival of the Animals.”
Adults will enjoy tunes from the days of Bugs Bunny in a medley called “What’s Up at the Symphony.”
The concert is free and seating will be on a first come basis. Children must be accompanied by an adult. For more information, call 704-933-0660 or 704-932-9438. The program is presented in partnership with the Old Court House Theater and the Cabarrus County Public Library.
Piano concert
KANNAPOLIS ó The community is invited to attend the seventh annual Brad Holland Memorial Piano Concert which will be held this Sunday at 4 p.m. in the Trinity United Methodist Church sanctuary, 416 E. First Street, Kannapolis, located across from A.L. Brown High School.
The concert is free and a reception will follow in the fellowship hall.
Pianist for the concert will be Dana Jarrett, a native of Kannapolis, who is currently the organist at Mount Olivet United Methodist Church and also is the accompanist for the Piedmont Singing Men. Jarrett will present a program of piano music, plus a vocal selection with guest singer Billy Raymer.
For more information, call 704-933-0660.
String concerts
The After-School Strings Program, a joint project of the Rowan-Salisbury School System and the Salisbury-Rowan Symphony Society, provides a group learning experience for young musicians with classes at Granite Quarry, Landis and Overton elementary schools, serving students from elementary, middle and home schools in Rowan County.
On March 24 at 6:30 p.m., there will be opportunities to hear these musicians in a concert held at Overton Elementary School. The concert, featuring students from all three sites, is free and the public is invited.
Violinist Carrie Webster teaches the classes at Granite Quarry, assisted by musician Anne Cave. At Landis, Salisbury Symphony violist Frank Albert teaches the classes, assisted by Sharon Gunther, music specialist at Landis and Millbridge. Overton students are instructed by Salisbury Symphony concertmaster Dan Skidmore, assisted by Karen Franks, choral director at West Rowan High School.
The Salisbury Symphony is sponsoring a food drive in March. People attending the After-School Strings concert on March 24 are invited to bring non-perishable food items to donate. This food will be distributed to organizations in Rowan County.For more information, call 704-637-4314.
Art by Annette Hall
Salisbury artist Annette Hall received an honorable mention in the Artist’s Magazine online competition with her watercolor painting, “Life Glow IV.” The painting is sold.
To see it online with the other winners, go to www.artistsnetwork.com/2009-online-competition. Scroll down to the Watercolor section to see it.
Also, Hall’s portraits of fallen firefighters Justin Monroe and Victor Isler were unveiled at the Salisbury Fire Department on East Innes Street during the one-year memorial luncheon. The portraits will hang at the station permanently.To view them on the Rail Walk Gallery web site, go to www.railwalkgallery.com/index_files/RailWalk_Firefighters.htm.
RCCC student art
The artwork of three Rowan-Cabarrus Community College students is on display at the newly renovated Arby’s restaurant on Jake Alexander Boulevard in Salisbury.
RCCC art instructor Jonathan Church collaborated with Arby’s district manager Monica Lefler on the idea of showing the work of RCCC art students.
Near each piece of artwork, Arby’s patrons will find contact information for Church, who can provide details about the artists and how to the purchase the pieces. Glenn Brandl, Malori Harrington and Ellen Phillips currently have their work on display. For more information, contact Church at 704-216-3819.