Courtesy photos.
CAMARILLO — Five choruses totaling more than 100 singers will perform together April 22 and 23 in CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI)’s Choral Spectacular 2023.
The CSU Channel Islands University Chorus will be joined by the Pleasant Valley School District Chorus, Santa Paula High School Cardinal Concert Choir, Ventura High School Chorale and Rancho Campana High School Concert Choir as they sing a variety of musical pieces in several languages. The performance will also feature the Channel Islands Chamber Orchestra (CHICO).
The choral portion of the show will include “Jubilate Deo” by award-winning American composer Dan Forrest, who was lauded in New York Concert Review as having “an undoubted gift for writing beautiful music….that is truly magical.”
“Jubilate Deo” draws from a wide spectrum of global influences with his musical expressions of the traditional Psalm 100 biblical text “Oh be joyful in the Lord, all ye lands” in Latin, Hebrew, Arabic, Mandarin, Zulu, English, and Spanish.
Another piece on the program is “Baba Yetu,” which is essentially the Lord’s Prayer in Swahili and the theme song for the 2005 video game Civilization IV. Composed by American composer Christopher Tin, known for his compositions for film and video games, “Baba Yetu” received the first ever Grammy® Award in 2011 for video game music.
The performance will also include the world premiere of “Odesa Overture,” composed by a jazz pianist and composer Bevan Manson. Formerly the Director of UC Jazz at UC Berkeley, he is now on the music faculty at Ventura College and has dedicated his piece to the people of Ukraine.
The program is created and directed by CSUCI Associate Professor of Performing Arts KuanFen Liu, who is also the Artistic Director of both CHICO and the Channel Islands Choral Association, sponsors of the performance, along with CSUCI’s Instructionally Related Activities fund.
“I am thrilled to bring a musical program of global representation to Ventura County audiences,” Liu said. “I am especially inspired that we are performing a newly commissioned work that commemorates the bravery and resilience of the people of Ukraine. The ‘Odesa Overture’ calls for peace and a more harmonious world.”
Performances are at 7 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday at Rancho Campana High School Performing Arts Center, 4235 Mar Vista Drive in Camarillo. Admission is a suggested donation of $20.
For more information, visit the CICA website at cicachoir.org or the CHICO website at chicovc.org
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY CHANNEL ISLANDS — California State University Channel Islands (CSUCI) is Ventura County’s only public university and opened in 2002 as the 23rd campus in the CSU system serving the regions of Ventura, Santa Barbara, and Los Angeles counties, as well as the entire state. CSUCI is located between Camarillo and the Oxnard Plain, midway between Santa Barbara and Los Angeles and 25 miles north from Malibu.
The campus is nestled against the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains and is a 10-minute drive from the Pacific Ocean. With more than 5,600 students, 24,500 alumni, and 1,000 employees, CSUCI is poised to grow in size and distinction, while maintaining one of the most student-focused learning environments in public higher education with more than 90 academic degrees, teaching credentials, certificates, and professional and community programs.
Connect with and learn more by visiting www.csuci.edu or CSUCI’s Social Media.
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