American Voices

Preludes pre-concert talk at 7:15pm Saturday.

From the great tradition of hymns, spirituals and folksongs to the transcendent chords of the hottest 20th- and 21st-century composers, Schola Cantorum delves into America's choral music heritage — a collection of works as diverse as the nation's multi-ethnic population itself.  James Erb's arrangement of the popular American folksong, Shenandoah, Eric Whitacre's I thank you God for most this amazing day, Aaron Copland's Simple Gifts, Morten Lauridsen's Nocturnes and Gene Scheer's heroic American Anthem — passionately sung by Nora Jones in Ken Burns' The War — frame this portrait of American choral literature.