Everett Chorale wraps up season with premiere of new song
Published 5:51 pm Wednesday, June 8, 2016
EVERETT — “Celebrate and Sing.”
That’s what the Everett Chorale’s 50th anniversary season has been all about, and it’s also the title of its season finale concert, to be presented Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon at the Everett Performing Arts Center.
Lee Mathews leads the 60-voice chorale in a program of American choral pieces that the choir has performed throughout its history.
The program also includes the world premiere of a new song, “The Winds of Africa,” written specifically for the concert by Snohomish County composer Ken Kraintz.
Other composers whose work will be featured include Stephen Foster, Eugene Butler, Norman Luboff, Laura Farnell, Ed Harris and Moses Hogan. Familiar folk songs, spirituals and patriotic songs also are on the program.
Former Everett Chorale conductor Pat Castro will lead a performance of Randall Thompson’s “The Road Not Taken,” which takes its lyrics from the poetry of Robert Frost.
The audience will have an opportunity to sing along to the melodies from “The Sound of Music” and former members of the Everett Chorale will join in singing the choir’s theme song, “Say It With A Song.”
The second half of the program will feature a guest choir of students from Everett’s Eisenhower Middle School under the direction of Jaci Cummings.
The Eisenhower choir will perform three arrangements of current pop tunes and will also join the chorale in singing “The Winds of Africa.”
Kraintz composed the piece, inspired by his world-traveling daughter, and geared it toward middle school students. The tune was written first and the lyrics came next.
The retired Everett Public Schools music teacher, known primarily for his work at Cascade High School, usually composes pieces for high school and college vocal jazz groups, but he has always looked forward to working with middle school choirs.
“The honest effort and boundless energy displayed by these young people and their directors is the motivating factor for establishing my new company, singfree.net,” Kraintz said.
The website allows middle school teachers to obtain music for free and lets students use their computers to see, hear and practice their new music at any time.
The premiere of “Winds of Africa” at the concert will launch a year when Kraintz works to get the word out about his website.
“Teachers need help, especially with such tight music literature budgets,” Kraintz said. “The songs on the website are fun and motivational. They get the kids singing, practicing at home and having a good time. The teacher then has more time to work on the meat-and-potatoes, classic aspects of teaching vocal music.”
Kraintz said he is looking forward to hearing “Winds of Africa” performed for the first time.
Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com.
If you go
Everett Chorale performs in concert at 7 p.m. June 11 and 3 p.m. June 12 at the Everett Performing Arts Center, 270 Westmore Ave., Everett. Tickets are $18 general admission, $16 for seniors, students and military. More information is at www.everettchorale.org.
