Nova Singers: “In Our Voices" -- October 18 and 19.
Saturday, October 18, 7:30 p.m.
First Lutheran Church, 364 East Water Street, Galesburg IL
Sunday, October 19, 4 p.m.
St. Paul Lutheran Church, 2136 Brady Street, Davenport IA
Their latest program boasting an astounding variety of composing talents, Galesburg's professional vocal ensemble the Nova Singers opens their 40th-anniversary season with thrilling presentations of In Our Voices, a showcase of rare beauty, charm, sincerity, and emotional power being performed at Galesburg's First Lutheran Church on October 18 and Davenport's First Presbyterian Church on October 19.
The In Our Voices concerts will feature an astounding variety of voices that include great Black American composers Nathaniel Dett and Moses Hogan, world renowned Latvian composer Ēriks Ešenvalds (in a world premiere), and the unique voice of Civil Rights activist James Weldon Johnson in an exhilarating and inspiring creation story. This amazing concert, the first in the Nova Singers' 2025-26 season, will also include a reunion of singers from the past 40 years
In describing the concert event, Nova Singers founder and music director Dr. Laura Lane says: “What a joy it has been, discovering each of these pieces with the Nova Singers and falling in love with each one! The Moses Hogan spirituals are gorgeous and exciting Make Me a World by Ruth Watson Henderson is incredibly dramatic. Fern Hill by Corigliano has a thousand moments of exquisite beauty that take you out of this world and into another. And our commissioned work by Ešenvalds is fantastic! Audience members will also enjoy hearing the soloists, as their voices emerge out of the texture of the group, each in their own unique way. Finally, I’m so looking forward to alumni of Nova Singers coming up to sing Shenandoah with us. There may not be a dry eye in the house."
Founded by Lane in 1986, Nova Singers is a 22-voice ensemble with a nation-wide reputation for expressiveness, virtuosity, and innovative programming. Nova Singers has performed at state, regional, and national conventions of the American Choral Directors Association, has produced eight professional recordings (including five Christmas CDs), and has received numerous grants from the Illinois Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. From Byrd to Brahms to Arvo Pärt, versatility and flexibility have been hallmarks of the organization, and their uniqueness is frequently demonstrated in Nova Singers’ world premieres of commissions from composers such as Thea Musgrave, William Hawley and Ruth Watson Henderson.
The Nova Singers' In Our Voices concerts will be performed at Galesburg's First Lutheran Church on April 12 at 7:30 p.m., and at Davenport's First Presbyterian Church on April 13 at 4 p.m. Admission is $17-20 with students admitted free, and more information and tickets are available by visiting NovaSingers.com.
