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October Festival Choir

Who We Are

OFC Home Page

Who We Are

Registration

Photo Album

Links
 
 


Our Mission


The October Festival Choir aims to offer a quality choral musical experience to a diverse and inclusive group of singers and listeners.  Under the auspices and nurturing of Mount Auburn Presbyterian Church, the October Festival Choir strives to bring together people of the Greater Cincinnati Community for an annual event which reflects the universal language of music in an atmosphere of love, acceptance, and musical enrichment.
 


Our History


Music has always been an important and cherished aspect of worship at Mount Auburn Presbyterian Church.  In the fall of 2001, a new pipe organ built by the Holtkamp company was installed in the MAPC sanctuary.  The following year 2002 featured various concerts celebrating the use of this new instrument.  In order to share the gift of music with others in the community, the October Festival Choir was formed and presented its first concert in the fall of 2002. 

The October Festival Choir includes singers from the local tri-state area (Greater Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, and Indiana) who are from various backgrounds and walks of life.   The concerts since 2002 have included works of music from a variety of composers, traditions, and styles.    The following sections list some of the works performed in recent years.
 


2005 Concert


Ave Maria by Igor Stravinsky

Two Spirituals: Walk Together Children and We Shall Walk Through the Valley in Peace

Cloudburst by Eric Whitacre

Va Pensiero by Guiseppe Verdi

Chichester Psalms by Leonard Bernstein

Lily of a Day by Richard Arnest
 

2007 Concert


Carmina Burana by Carl Orff
 


2008 Concert


Dona Nobis Pacem by Vaughan Williams

Mr. Franklin Proffers Thanks by Rick Sowash

Between Two Hills by Richard Arnest
 


2009 Concert


Mass by Haydn - Theresienmesse (Theresa Mass)

Hark, I Hear the Harps Eternal - arranged by Alice Parker

The Endless Tapestry - New music by local Cincinnati composer Rick Sowash

Note by Rick Sowash regarding The Endless Tapestry:

Text:  "The silent looms that weave the world's beauty never linger, never pause."

                from The Cabin Down the Glen by Odell Shepard

The universe, near and far, is gorgeous and intricate, a vast, eternal tapestry, a thing that is woven and rewoven, unceasingly and forever.  We know this but most of us lose sight of it most of the time.  Not my friend John Tallmadge, Nature writer, to whom this piece is dedicated.  John sees it and he knows that whenever and wherever weaving is done, there must needs be a Weaver.

Guest Conductor:

Our guest conductor for 2009, Dr. Betsy Burleigh, is the head of choral activities at Cleveland State and is the Director of the Pittsburg Symphony Chorus.  Dr. Burleigh has recently been appointed director of the Chorus pro Musica which is based in Boston, MA. 
 


Page last updated: 1/8/10