St. Charles Singers to conclude 40th season with April concerts

The critically acclaimed St. Charles Singers, led by founder and music director Jeffrey Hunt, will conclude its 40th anniversary season with concerts April 12 and 13 featuring the premiere of a new work written for the ensemble by renowned English composer Sir John Rutter.

The mixed-voice chamber choir’s season-finale program, “The Passing of the Year,” will be presented at 7:30 p.m. April 12 and at 3 p.m. April 13 at Baker Memorial United Methodist Church, 307 Cedar Ave., St. Charles.

Scored for choir and harp, Rutter’s “Dancing Tree” is a suite of eight poems by Charles Causley, a celebrated 20th Century British poet whose writing embodies warmth, humor and a deep concern for humanity, according to a news release.

 “‘Dancing Tree’ will resonate with a wide audience, including choral connoisseurs and listeners new to the choral world,” Hunt said in the release. “The music is quintessential John Rutter. It reflects his own heartfelt connection to nature and admiration for English folk music.

“You’ll hear intensely beautiful melodies that are very singable, amid a pleasing array of harmonies. Listeners who enjoy Rutter’s Christmas carols will love this piece.”

Rutter, who has guest conducted the St. Charles Singers on multiple occasions over the decades, recently received a British knighthood for his contributions to music.

Another choral work with harp is Gabriel Fauré’s “Cantique de Jean Racine,” a charming setting of a French version of a medieval Latin hymn.

“This has been a favorite of mine over the years,” Hunt said in the release. “But it’s the first time we’ll be performing the arrangement with harp.”

The concert takes its title, “The Passing of the Year,” from British composer Jonathan Dove’s choral song cycle of the same name, scored for double choir and piano. Commissioned by the London Symphony Orchestra, the seven-movement work — the final piece on the program — traces a journey through the seasons using verses of prominent poets.

“It’s a very exciting work that requires virtuosic singing and piano playing,” Hunt said in the release.

This will be the St. Charles Singers’ first performance of the piece.

“This capstone concert brings together passion, joy, deeply felt expression, and musical innovation,” Hunt said in the release. “These are all aspects of what this choir strives to convey.”

Joining the choir as guest choristers to celebrate its landmark season are soprano Michelle Areyzaga and baritone Evan Bravos. Both are accomplished professional singers who hail from the far western suburbs and have close ties to the St. Charles Singers.

Areyzaga, a former member of the St. Charles Singers, passed her audition for the choir while still a student at Kaneland High School in Maple Park, and performed with the ensemble for a decade before embarking on a successful solo career.

Areyzaga will solo in Kenneth Leighton’s a cappella “A Hymn of the Nativity,” which the choir performed when she was a member of the soprano section in the late 1980s and ‘90s.

A native of St. Charles, Bravos is a past recipient of a St. Charles Singers’ scholarship for graduating high school seniors. This will be his debut with the choir.

Tickets to “The Passing of the Year” are $45 for adults, $40 for seniors and $12 for students. Tickets are available at stcharlessingers.com/tickets or by calling 630-513-5272.

Tickets are also available at Town House Books, 105 N. Second Ave., St. Charles (checks or cash only at this ticket venue).

Admission may also be purchased at the door on the day of the concert, depending on availability.