University-Community Chorus Concert

Please note: Effective at 5 p.m. Sunday, March 22, 2020, the Heidelberg University campus will be closed for the rest of the semester in response to the ever-growing COVID-19 pandemic. All events on campus for the Spring 2020 semester have been suspended or canceled.

This evening’s concert is about different aspects of perfection. Joseph Martin’s Something of Love speaks of the power of community to sustain us through our most challenging times. Mark Patterson’s O Light, Awaken encourages us to transform our present and to dream of a better future. Andy Beck’s No Ruby is an unabashedly romantic love song. Luigi Zaninelli’s setting of The Water Is Wide reminds us that, although we strive for perfection, our reality often falls short of our expectations. In those cases, we discover that hindsight may actually be more perfect that our idealized visions of the future. In this manner, we learn and grow from our mistakes and set a truer course for our future endeavors. Randall Thompson’s Last Words of David sets a text from II Samuel 23:3-4. David admonishes those who lead to seek a higher wisdom and lead in a manner that brings joy and refreshing to those who follow their example. Jean Anne Shafferman’s Carry Me Home combines two famous songs, Deep River and Swing Low, Sweet Chariot. Both songs are derived from the African American spiritual tradition, and both would have been understood to have dual references to both spiritual and physical freedom. In contrast to Carry Me Home’s reflective nature, Soon and Very Soon serves as a rousing affirmation of hope for a better, eternal home.