How to go
What: Bach Society of Dayton “Follow the Muse”
When: 4 p.m. Sunday, April 11
Where: Kettering Adventist Church, 3939 Stonebridge Road, Kettering
Cost: General admission $15, students $10, free for children 12 and younger
More information: (937) 294-2224 or www.bachsocietyofdayton.org
One of the primary goals of Bach Society of Dayton is to nurture the next generation of choral singers.
That long-range objective is the impetus for “Follow the Muse” the society’s 2010 spring concert Sunday, April 11, at Kettering Adventist Church.
For the performance, the Bach Society will be joined by singers from Muse Machine and the local, senior-high choir, Capella.
“Talented Dayton-area high school-age singers, specially prepared by Basil Fett, join the Bach Society chorus for the concert,” said Larry Hollar, vice president of Bach Society. “Some students are from Muse Machine-affiliated schools and others from Cappella, the regional high school honors choir that is a college preparatory program associated with the Kettering Children’s Choir.”
Hollar noted that because of cutbacks in public school music programs younger singers are vastly under-represented in organizations such as the Bach Society.
"One of the things non-profit groups like the Bach Society can do is to, first of all, encourage students to engage in the programs that are there and encourage schools to continue programs of music education and preparation," he said. "So that when young people reach the age when they can perform with groups like the Bach Society there will be an interest not only in singing but also in being part of the audience ..."
“Follow the Muse” features music harvested primarily from the Baroque period.
“We wanted it to be inviting to young singers and a younger audience,” Hollar said. “And to give people a chance to experience the range of Baroque choral music. On the program itself that we are going to be performing April 11 there are pieces from the early portion of the Baroque period, the period that just followed the Renaissance, right up until the glory of Baroque in the time of Bach and Handel.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2267 or kmoss@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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