PORT TOWNSEND — RainShadow Chorale’s fall concerts on Friday and Saturday, “Choose Something Like a Star,” highlight the music of “Frostiana,” a suite of songs based on the poetry of Robert Frost.
Performances are set at First Presbyterian Church, 1111 Franklin St. in Port Townsend. Both concerts are at 3 p.m. Tickets are available at the door for a suggested donation of $20 for an adult, $10 for a student.
Laurie de Leonne, RainShadow’s artistic director who is now in her second season with the group, called “Frostiana” by composer Randall Thompson the “crown jewel” of the program. She has chosen a lineup of American art songs from the early and mid-20th century.
“I have a passion for American music,” she said. “Since the U.S. is still a relatively young country, the 20th century was a time we really developed our own choral voice and created a body of repertoire that we own as a nation.”
For “Frostiana,” the chorale will divide into two choirs and circle the audience from the church’s outer aisles to create an immersive experience, de Leonne said. She praised the acoustics at the church, which she said will enhance the choral sound.
Thompson’s composition is a collection of individual movements written in 1959 to celebrate the bicentennial of the town of Amherst, Mass. Frost, a New Englander widely known for his spare verse, was present at the premier of the work, and after hearing “Choose Something Like a Star,” the final song, he called out and asked that it be repeated.
Rounding out the program, de Leonne has selected a variety of songs that illustrate the variety of American musical canon and the composers who created it.
The spiritual “I Got Shoes,” set for the concert stage as modeled by the Fisk University Jubilee Singers as “Shout All Over God’s Heaven,” stands with “A Jubilant Song” by Norman Dello Joio, and “The Promise of Living” by Aaron Copland. Other selections include pieces by Libby Larson and Irving Gifford Fine.
Collaborative pianist Lisa Lanza of Port Townsend is also featured throughout the program, cooperating with the choir at the piano.
“RainShadow believes that audiences will enjoy and appreciate the breadth of Americana in this program,” said Chorale president Rebecca Nerison.
RainShadow Chorale is an auditioned 42-member mixed chorus which presents two concerts per year.
For additional information, visit rainshadowchorale.org or call 360-379-3458.
Laurie de Leonne, artistic director of RainShadow Chorale, will direct concerts on Friday and Saturday.
