Folk Songs with a Touch of Jazz May 22, 2010

The singers of the Valley Concert Chorale will shed their formal black choral dresses and tuxedos and instead don brightly colored outfits as they show their jazzy side in the Chorale's spring concert "Folk Songs with a Touch of Jazz".

"This concert will feature familiar folk songs like you've never heard before," says John Emory Bush, VCC's Artistic Director and Conductor. "The songs are all jazzed up for a rhythmic tour around the globe."

The songs featured in the evening's program represent folk music from many different countries including Latvia, Iceland, Argentina and Nigeria. Although a few will be sung with a traditional melody, most are set to new jazzy rhythms arranged by British composer and choral conductor Bob Chilcott.

"Chilcott is one of the world's most active choral composers," explains Bush. "Chilcott has been involved with choral music all his life, first as a Chorister and then a Choral Scholar at King's College, Cambridge. Later, he sang and composed music for 12 years with the world-renowned King's Singers. We'll be performing seven pieces from his new collection of favorite folk songs that have a jazzy twist."

The Chilcott selections include a syncopated "Scarborough Fair" from England, a jazzy "Waltzing Mathilda" from Australia, plus sambas, cool bossa novas, funk and more from countries such as Ireland, Canada, and Japan.

"We've performed folk songs before, but the Chilcott arrangements are really a lot of fun and exciting for us," says VCC President Doris Slater. "And the traditional Nigerian folk song that we'll perform, well, you'll have to come and see what we add to this piece to make it so authentic."

Official Website: http://www.valleyconcertchorale.org/