The Symphonic Singers and Chamber Choir at University of Wisconsin-Stout will host one of the official World War I Centennial Commission events at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 7, at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, 910 9th St. E.
Tickets are $5 and are available online, at the Service Center in the student center, 715-232-1122, and at the door.
Conducted by Assistant Professor Jerry Hui, with pianist Michaela Gifford, the Silent Night program will highlight stories from the Christmas Truce, when soldiers from both sides ceased fire over Christmas to sing carols, greet each other and exchange gifts.
The concert will mostly feature music from the United Kingdom, France and Germany composed during the war. The audience will be invited to sing along for some of the carols.
Other selections speak to the brutality of war, consolations of those who survived and the dire need for peace.
The closing piece, an original arrangement of “Silent Night,” highlights the bicentennial of the popular melody in its original form in German, as well as in English and French translations.
The choirs, with more than 50 members, will feature eight soloists:
- Sopranos: Ellie Clarke, a senior from Rochester, Minn.; Elsa Capistrant-Kinney, a first-year student from St. Boniface, Minn.; and Brianna King, a sophomore from Stoughton
- Alto: Elizabeth Jeppesen, a senior from Sunburg, Minn.
- Tenors: Jordan Carpenter, a first-year student from Red Wing, Minn.; Charlie Peavey, a sophomore from Minneapolis; Sam Poncelet, a sophomore from Hastings, Minn.; and Daniel Trader, a sophomore from Fennimore.
Collaborating with UW-Stout on the program are University Archives and the Dunn County Historical Society, which have researched university and local history during the time. Historical accounts will be read during the concert, and an exhibit will include war artifacts.
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Photo
UW-Stout’s Symphonic Singers, with Director Jerry Hui, front row, left.
