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The Pittsburg State University Choir and Chorale will present classic stage numbers and more in “Back to Broadway,” a modified dessert-only version of their annual choir dinner.
The event, which the choirs are calling a “choir dessert” due to attendees receiving a boxed dessert in place of the usual choir dinner meal, will be held on Sept. 24 at 7:30 p.m. in the ballrooms of the Overman Student Center.
“As part of the University Choir and Chorale, I believe that our constant goal is to bring beautiful music to our PSU community and provide the opportunity for our members to have a place to learn and grow with diverse musical experiences,” said Kimberly Harries, administrative associate in the department of music and member of the University Choir and Chorale. “This first concert comes from our yearly Choir Dinner, which has provided in the past a themed music program and a dinner. This year to make sure this is a safe experience for all, we have chosen to have a ‘Choir Dessert.’ This will be a themed concert “Back to Broadway” where we will perform various pieces from Broadway through the years and will end with a delicious, boxed dessert to take home.”
As the changes to this year’s event format were based around restrictions due to the pandemic, masks will be required at the event. The choir and chorale plan to sing tunes based on numbers from Broadway’s past and present, such as a medley from George Gershwin’s jazz-inspired opera “Porgy and Bess” and the song “You Will Be Found” from the musical (and soon to be movie) “Dear Evan Hansen.”
“(One of our goals for this year was) to return to live performance,” said Susan Marchant, director of PSU choirs. “We have some wonderful music chosen for the year, representing many different styles and traditions, and we hope that we’ll be able to share it with audiences in a way that is safe and meaningful. We have already performed with the SEK Symphony in the recent 9/11 Concert of Remembrance, and we’ll collaborate with that ensemble again in October. The upcoming Sept 24 program features repertoire from musical theater and popular song traditions. Then in November we’ll present a more traditional program. We’re fortunate that the choral repertoire is so vast and varied…we have many choices!”
Some of the students performing at the choir dessert concert will have the opportunity to sing with PSU’s auditioned choral group, the Chorale, while others have been given solos.
“Some of the pieces will be performed by the full University Choir, while others will be sung by the smaller Chorale…and beyond that, subsets of the Chorale, and even a few solos in the mix,” Marchant said. “I think it will be a really nice program with something for everyone to enjoy.”
The funds raised during the choir desert serve as a fundraiser for possible choir trips in the upcoming academic year. Ticket sales to receive the dessert at the end of the evening are closed.
