Central Oregon Mastersingers will join choirs around the world to pay tribute to French composer Gabriel Fauré (pronounced faw-ray) with a two-concert performance of his beloved Requiem. The October free concerts commemorate the 100th anniversary year of Fauré’s passing on November 4, 1924.
“Fauré’s Requiem is a sublime masterpiece, and one of his most cherished works” said Mastersingers’ Artistic Director Christian Clark. “This timeless music not only showcases Fauré’s gift for lyrical beauty but also serves as a poignant reflection of his serene approach to life, death, and peace. It’s a fitting tribute to a composer whose music continues to inspire.”
The concerts will be held Saturday, October 12 at 7pm in St. Helens Hall at Trinity Episcopal Church, 231 NW Idaho Street, and Sunday, October 13 at 3pm at Nativity Lutheran Church, 60850 Brosterhous Road. Admission is free; donations appreciated.
The Dove String Quartet and Stephen Marshall, organist, will join Mastersingers in this intimate presentation of the Requiem. Performers Samantha Winter and Sterling Roberts will sing solo passages. Winter will sing the famous Pie Jesu, while Roberts will perform passages in Hostias and Libera me.
To open the concert, Mastersingers also will perform two works by Lili Boulanger, a student of Fauré, and the first female winner of the Prix de Rome composition prize. A remarkable talent from a youthful age, Boulanger was a multi-instrumentalist and trailblazing composer who shared her musical brilliance with the world until her untimely death in 1918 at just 24 years old. Diane Thielen, Mastersinger’s collaborative pianist, will accompany the choral group’s performance of Boulanger’s two works.
Gabriel Urbain Fauré, 1845-1924, was a French composer, organist, pianist and teacher. One of the foremost French composers of his generation, Faure’s musical style influenced many 20th-century composers. Among his best-known works are the songs Après un rêve and Clair de lune.
Central Oregon Mastersingers, the area’s premier choral ensemble, will also participate in the November 11 Bend Veterans Day Parade; the Bend Christmas Parade; the annual holiday concert, Festival of Carols, December 14-15 at the Tower Theater; and a free Messiah Sing-Along, December 21-22 in Bend and Sunriver. The group is recent recipients of the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation and Oregon Arts Commission grants.
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