There are over 90 singers in the Plano Civic Chorus, and they must all audition because the music they perform is challenging and of the highest caliber. This certainly is true as the new season opens this month with the debut of a commissioned new work by musical artist, composer, and pianist Ola Gjeilo (pronounced YAY-lo).
“Ola Gjeilo is one of the most creative voices in the choral world today,” says Artistic Director Ralph Frederick Stannard. “Critics, audiences, and singers alike have proclaimed his music as inventive, spiritual, deeply personal, fresh, exciting, and highly accessible. He works with profound texts that illustrate his keen sense of artistic expression.”
A native of Norway, Gjeilo now lives in Los Angeles. He came to the United States in 2001 to begin his composition studies at the Juilliard School in New York City. Gjeilo’s Northern Lights album, where he both composed and performed piano for all the choral works, was named Best Classical Album of the Year by iTunes in 2012.
“The audience will come away from this concert with a sense that they have experienced something very unique, special, and beautiful,” describes Stannard.
There will two performances of this concert: Saturday, October 17 at 7:30 p.m. at St. Andrew United Methodist Church in Plano, and again on Sunday October 18 at 4 p.m. at Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church in Dallas.
For tickets ($25 and $35) visit www.planocivicchorus.org.
