Dolce Canto celebrates “Light, Beauty, Peace” with two concerts.
Dolce Canto, directed by Peter Park, presents two performances of “Light, Beauty, Peace,” 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9 at the UM Music Recital Hall at the University of Montana in Missoula, and 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 10, in the historic St. Ignatius Mission. Special guests for this concert are the Lawrence Duncan, soprano saxophone, and Anne Bashor, piano.
This holiday program encourages listeners to meditate on the notion of hope and reflect on life’s beauty. Compositions have been carefully chosen to ease the spirit and enrich the soul.
“I think of December as a time of reflection and peace,” says Park, director of the choral group. “This has been a turbulent year, and I wanted to create a program that would bring people together to dwell on positive thoughts.”
“Dolce Canto is known for its creative approach to programming, and audiences will find this concert as compelling as any we’ve performed,” he adds.
While much of the concert is a cappella, guest pianist Anne Bashor will provide some energetic drive to “The Promise of Light,” while guest saxophonist Lawrence Duncan will add a mystical ambiance to “O Nata Lux” by Thomas Tallis and a joyous, dancelike texture in “Light, my Light.” Other selections include the Canadian carol, “Twas in the Moon of Wintertime,” another Latin piece, “Lux Aeterna,” and the well-known gospel tune, “This Little Light of Mine.”
Park notes that the ensemble looks forward to bringing the concert to St. Ignatius.
“We love singing in the Mission because of its warm acoustics and inviting atmosphere. It is, of course, a beautiful building, and we feel fortunate to be able to share our music inside this historic structure.”
Tickets to the Missoula concert are $18 general admission and $10 students. Tickets will be pre-sold Fact & Fiction, Rockin’ Rudy’s, or via the choir’s website at www.DolceCanto.info through 5 p.m. Friday, Dec. 8. After this, any remaining tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis at the door starting at 6:30 p.m. on the day of the show. Advance purchase is recommended because Missoula concerts frequently sell out.
Donations of $15 for adults and $10 for students are suggested for the St. Ignatius concert; a portion of proceeds will help restore the historic Mission.
Dolce Canto is an auditioned, non-profit choral ensemble founded in 2001. The group was invited to sing in New York’s Carnegie Hall in 2013, is the 2014 recipient of the prestigious Dale Warland Singers Commission Award, and has released two CDs. Most recently the group toured South Korea in April 2016.
For more information, visit www.DolceCanto.info.