BY KAREN BOSSICK
It’s been a longtime dream of R.L. Rowsey’s.
Now “A Day of Hope and Light” will finally see the light of day.
Caritas Chorale has organized a hundred adults and youth for a 9 a.m. choral workshop on Saturday, June 2, that will be followed at 11 a.m. by Mini-Concerts featuring various school and community choirs doing on simultaneously at various points in the valley.
A main concert will cap the day at 2:30 p.m. at the Wood River Performing Arts Theater at the Community Campus.
All are free of charge.
- A Choral Workshop Open to all singers will take place at 9 a.m. at the Community Campus. Joining it will be James Martin, who has performed with opera companies in San Francisco, Chicago, Santa Fe, St. Louis, New York and around the world.
- Patty Parsons-Tewson will lead the Sun Valley Hallelujah Chorus in the Mini-Concert at Ketchum’s Forest Service Park, First and Washington streets at 11 a.m.
- Wood River High School’s Max Stimac will lead Colla Voce and Alturas Elementary Music Teacher Dorinda Rendahl will lead Alturas Elementary at Jimmy’s Garden, Croy and 2nd streets in Hailey at 11 a.m.
- And R.L. Rowsey, artistic director for Caritas Chorale, will conduct Enchante and the B-Tones at Bellevue Memorial Par at 11 a.m.
- Finally, Caritas Chorale, under the direction of Rowsey, will perform a variety of inspirational songs at the Community Campus at 2:30 p.m. They will be joined by those taking part in the Mini-Concerts, as well as soloist James Martin, who sings everything from J.S. Bach to be-bop.
The concert was prompted by headlines that challenge viewers to see the worst and to expect disaster, said Rowsey.
“Our conversations too often are riddled with worry and fear. We get caught up in the idea that things are bad and heading straight downhill. And all of that stress and fear and worry takes a toll on us, individually and collectively, until we are cornered by the deafening noise of darkness,” he said.
“As we were discussing the season, it was clear that we had a responsibility to our community to be a resource to lightening the pressure of our times,” he added. “So we thought we’d try to quiet the noise a bit. Just for a day. We thought we’d celebrate two beautiful words, two warriors against the world of fear: Hope and Light. What better than to ‘raise a glass’ to the art form that we hold so dear while putting the spotlight on the power of hope and light.”
The 2:30 p.m. concert featuring Caritas Chorale, Colla Voce, Enchante, the B-Tones, Alturas Elementary and the Sun Valley Hallelujah Chorus will features several selections that speak to hope and light.
“The mood will range from contemplative, as in ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon, to jubilant, as in ‘Ride the Chariot,’ ” said longtime Caritas Chorale member Richard Stahl. “We have two numbers titled, ‘Hope.’ The composition by composer Debra Scroggins uses the words of Emily Dickinson to express the title, ‘Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all.’ ”
The final song, written by Mark Hayes, titled ‘Credo,’ or ‘I believe’, says this: “Who am I to dream that I may be the one to change the world, who will make a difference, who will reach beyond the stars?”
“Is that hopeful, or what?” said Stahl.
The inclusion of elementary and high school students is deliberate, in that they are the future, added Stahl.
“The 11:00 concerts are so cool—I hope people will pop out to hear all these people sing,” said Rowsey. “Patty and The Hallelujah Chorus have worked really hard to put together a performance in Ketchum. Jimmy’s Garden in Hailey is having a dedication there right after that concert. And my group in Bellevue are co-sponsored by the Sun Valley Summer Symphony and the Wood River High School Choral Department. The entire day is an opportunity for us to let everyone else in on just how much fun we have when we get together to sing.”
For more information, contact 208-726-4846 or visit www.caritaschorale.org.