Opus 7: Finding Light in Darkness – Lenten music for choir, cello, harp, & percussion
$20-$40 (students pay-as-able); see event description for details
- Naomi Kato, harp
- Kevin Krentz, cello
- Karen Sunmark, percussion
Peter Hallock — Phoenix (choir, cello, & harp)
Peter Hallock — There is a stream
Peter Hallock — Days of Herod ("Rachel's Lament"; choir, soloists, & handbells)
Orlando Gibbons — Drop, Drop, Slow Tears
Paul Mealor — O vos omnes (choir, soloists, & percussion)
Rihards Dubra — O Crux Ave
Georgy Sviridov — Three Choruses from Tsar Feodor Ioannovich ("II. Liubóv sviatáya" ("Sacred Love"))
John Muehleisen — De Profundis (Out of the Depths) (choir & soloists)
Vytautas Miškinis — O sacrum convivium
Hubert Parry — Never weather-beaten sail
William Henry Harris — Faire is the heaven
Herbert Howells — O Salutaris hostia
Traditional — Hark I Hear the Harps Eternal (arr. Alice Parker)
After nearly two years of hiatus due to the pandemic, Opus 7 is thrilled to present Finding Light in Darkness, a program of music featuring inspirational texts of faith, hope, and love.
Our first concert of 2022 presents a collection of extraordinary works spanning six centuries from some of the greatest European and American choral composers, setting some of the most profound and prayerful texts in the choral repertoire. Composers include Howells, Parry, Schütz, Gibbons; Welsh native Paul Mealor; and Seattle’s own Peter Hallock and John Muehleisen.
We will sing three pieces by the Anglican composer Peter Hallock, who was Director of Music and conductor of the Compline Choir at Seattle’s iconic St. Mark’s Cathedral for a span of more than 60 years. “Rachel’s Lament,” a movement from Hallock’s liturgical drama Days of Herod, narrates the grief of a mother’s loss through a dialogue between two soloists with handbell accompaniment. There is a stream, with text by 17th-century poet John Mason, describes a heavenly Paradise. Phoenix – whose text is adapted from an ancient Christian poem – combines choir, harp, and cello to express the miraculous resurrection of the Phoenix rising from the ashes, representing Christ’s Resurrection.
Seattle native John Muehleisen, Opus 7’s critically-acclaimed Composer-in-Residence, will be represented in an encore performance of De Profundis (Out of the Depths). This work is based on the collection of Psalm texts sung by the Israelites on their journey from captivity in Babylon to the holy city of Jerusalem.
We hope you will join us for an evening of restorative and inspirational music, as we journey together to find light in darkness, all in the glorious acoustic of St. James Cathedral.
Tickets:
Preferred seating: $40 in advance
General seating: $25 in advance, $30 at the door
Seniors: $20 in advance, $24 at the door
Students: Pay as able at the door with student ID
COVID-19 Protocols: Opus 7 will be adhering to CDC recommendations and local health guidelines and policies for live audiences. Currently, this includes:
1. Proof of vaccination and/or documentation of a recent negative COVID-19 test (within 48 hours)
2. Masks covering nose and mouth at all times
About Opus 7
About Naomi Kato, harp
Naomi attended the University of Washington, and holds Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Music Education and a Bachelor of Music in harp performance. She studied harp with Pamela Vokolek and Lynne Palmer. Naomi is a frequently-heard performer in the Greater Seattle area. She worked with Toru Takemitsu and Murray Schafer at the annual Seattle Spring, an international festival of contemporary music. She has also played with various groups including Seattle Symphony, Seattle Opera, Bellevue Philharmonic, Orchestra Seattle, Thalia Symphony, Tudor Choir, Seattle Men’s Chorus, St. Mark’s Cathedral Choir, Choral Arts Northwest, Marzena, Seattle Pro Musica, and Anchorage Civic Opera. As a member of a flute-harp duo, she has performed recitals in both Seattle and Japan. She also had a concert tour with an organist in three cities in Japan.