MCCC ensembles to honor female composers
MONROE — Female composers will be celebrated Monday at Monroe County Community College.
The Agora Chorale and the College/Community Symphony Band will present "An Evening of Women Composers" at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 26 in the Meyer Theater in the La-Z-Boy Center at MCCC, 1555 S. Raisinville Road. Doors will open at 7. General admission seating is free.
"Women composers are increasing, but it is still a male-dominated profession. We thought this would be a wonderful way to promote the outstanding women," said Mark Felder, band director. "Both groups will be performing music from all female composers."
"Women have been a big part of composing in the world of choral music for a long time," Jonathan Lunneberg, choir director, said.
Among the band's numbers is "The Old Boatman" by Florence Price, a Black female composer from the early 20th century. Price died in 1954.
The 93-member band also will perform "Fanfare Jubilee" by Stacey J. Berk; "Circus Franticus" by Julie Giroux; "Three Places in the West" by Elena Specht; and "Albanian Dance" by Shelly Hanson.
"Four of the five composers are still active," Felder said.
The Agora Chorale's portion of the concert will include original and traditional selections.
"We are featuring original compositions with traditional choral texts in Latin, as well as pieces that use other poetry. We are also featuring arrangements of traditional folk songs, as well as a popular song from the 1920s," Lunneberg said.
One of the pieces is the traditional spiritual "I Want Two Wings," arranged by Alice Parker.
"I'm excited to feature one of the greatest composers of choral music by performing an arrangement of 'I Want Two Wings' by Alice Parker," Lunneberg said. "Parker has been a mainstay in the libraries of most choirs (community, middle school, high school, college and professional) for a very long time. And it is great to have a chance to honor her after her recent passing on Dec. 24, 2023, at the age of 98."
The 25-member Agora Chorale also will perform: "Festival Gloria" by Sherri Porterfield; "Where the Mind is without Fear" by Vicki Tucker Courtney; "Sanctus" by Terre McPheeters; "My Blue Heaven," arranged by Rosana Eckert; the Scottish folk song "The Water Is Wide," arranged by Audrey Snyder; and "On Some Solemn Shore," arranged by Andrea Ramsey.
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The Agora Chorale will be accompanied by guest pianist Nancy Honnaker.
Monday's concert is part of the college's 2023-24 Entertainment and Events Series, which is sponsored by La-Z-Boy, First Merchants Bank, Consumers Energy, DTE Foundation and The Foundation at MCCC. For a complete list of events, visit monroeccc.edu/events/la-z-boy.
— Contact reporter Suzanne Nolan Wisler at swisler@monroenews.com.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: MCCC ensembles to honor female composers
