Registration for the Beaver Valley Choral Society’s virtual musical ensemble project, “God of Our Fathers,” is extended to Wednesday, April 7, if you are interested in participating vocally or instrumentally.
“We are grateful for those who are already registered, but there’s certainly room for many more,” said BVCS Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Sharon Burchill. “We are in need of more voices and instruments in order to realize the full scope of the composition.”
The Society invites the general public – adult, collegiate and high school age singers and instrumentalists, as well as youth singers from age eight and up — to rehearse and participate. Visit the Choral Society website www.bvchoralsociety.org to register. There is a $20.00 fee that covers sheet music cost and engineering expense.
Choral rehearsals are conducted Mondays at 7pm on zoom.us. Once parts are distributed, singers and musicians alike will rehearse and record their individual parts using their own devices. They will be aided during the recording by a rhythm and sync track. The final recording will be posted on YouTube by Memorial Day weekend.
Orchestra members have access to a prerecorded rehearsal video. Children and the BVCS Treble Youth Chorale will rehearse separately with TYC Director Deborah Silverstein. All participants will receive a guide track that contains the piano accompaniment with a conductor video. Singers will also have part-specific audio on their track.
“God of Our Fathers” was written in 1876 to commemorate the centennial anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The four verses were written by Donald C. Roberts and were set to “Nature Hymn,” composed by George W. Warren. The Mary McDonald arrangement is a moving, poignant and uplifting selection.