The Orange Coast College Chamber Singers and the OCC Chorale will unite to present a Fall Choral-Vocal Showcase on Saturday, Nov. 16, at 7:30 p.m. in the Robert B. Moore Theatre.
Eliza Rubenstein will direct the Chamber Singers and Kelly Self will direct the Chorale. The program includes a variety of choral works from nations around the world and throughout the ages, including a protest song from Iran, a folk song from Malaysia, two works from Hungary, and a gospel setting of an African American spiritual, among other works.
Three of the songs that the Chamber Singers will perform hold special significance for Rubenstein. These are pieces she first sang alongside her mentor and friend, Joseph Huszti, who was the legendary long-time choral director at UC Irvine. Joe passed away this past June, but his influence is felt in every note of music Rubenstein creates. She wishes to honor Joe’s memory by sharing some of his favorite works with the next choral generation.
The OCC Chorale will perform a set of three pieces that blend traditional choral vocal techniques with elements of modern jazz, folk, and pop singing. To prepare for the performance, the OCC Chorale students met with Moira Smiley, the composer of one of the pieces, “Stand in that River,” to learn about folk performance stylistic practices.
“Our audience is going to love this program!” says Rubenstein. “There’s an enormous range of styles represented, so we guarantee that there’s something for everyone—from the calm lush harmonies of Zoltan Kodaly and Elaine Hagenberg, to the fiery activism of the Iranian feminist anthem ‘Zan, Zendegi, Azadi,’ to a finale that will make you want to stand up and cheer, we promise.”
Tickets are on sale for $10 at the OCC Tickets website. Proceeds from the concert will support the Chamber Singers’ trip to New York City in June to perform Mozart’s legendary Requiem at Carnegie Hall.