Cornell choirs perform holiday concert, ‘The Peaceable Kingdom,’ Dec. 3

MOUNT VERNON — The Cornell College Chamber Singers and Concert Choir will present their holiday concert, “The Peaceable Kingdom,” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3, in King Chapel. Admission is free.

The Concert Choir will perform “The Peaceable Kingdom,” American composer Randall Thompson’s 1935 work inspired by the paintings of Edward Hicks, a
19th-century folk artist and Pennsylvania Quaker minister who created nearly 100 paintings interpreting the biblical quotation beginning with Isaiah 11:6. Thompson’s piece has eight movements in widely diverse musical styles. The texts emphasize justice in the Kingdom of God, ranging in emotion from scenes of violence and despair to utterances of hope and joy.

The Chamber Singers open the performance with a program that includes a major work by French composer Claude Debussy, featuring a solo by Kara Stumpff, a junior from Norway, Iowa, and a solo quartet with seniors Erin Prall (Eagan, Minn.), Anna Hendricksen (Chicago, Ill.) and Joe Okell (Eagan, Minn.) and freshman Matt Roberts (Dunlap). The Chamber Singers also perform “Caritas et Amor,” composer Z. Randall Stroope’s piece based on a Gregorian chant, and close their half of the program with a spiritual by New Orleans composer Moses Hogan, “My Soul’s Been Anchored.”

The ensembles are directed by Lisa Hearne, associate professor of music and director of choral music. Accompanist is pianist Lynda Hakken.