The Pemi Choral Society will be closing out the season with A Walk in the Woods – our 46th Spring concert. The featured work in the concert — entitled Frostiana — is a set of choral pieces by composer Randall Thompson with texts from famous poems by New Hampshire’s own Robert Frost, including “The Road Not Taken,” “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” and “Choose Something Like a Star.” Frostiana is being performed in recognition of the 60th anniversary of its initial premier. Other pieces that will be performed include “The Tree of Peace” by Gwyneth Walker, “For the Beauty of the Earth” by John Rutter, and “When the Sun Rose Up This Morning” by Mark Sonnenblick. In addition, the chorus will be commissioning a new piece by Ian Soderberg titled “Barter.” Soderberg grew up in Campton and graduated from Plymouth Regional High School in 2015.
The 80-member adult community chorus, based in Plymouth, is comprised of members from all over the central New Hampshire region. They have been in rehearsal since January, and will be performing the program with a 14-piece chamber orchestra.
“We are thrilled to share a program that uses New England scenery to show symbols of hope, loss, love, the passage of time, and contemplation,” says Pemi Choral Society Director Will Gunn. “Our program represents a variety of styles including African American spirituals, Czechoslovakian folk music, songs from the Sacred Hap, and contemporary music written by New England composers. While our program is centered on Frost’s iconic words, we are excited to pair Thompson’s classic music by supporting and cultivating new compositions that draw their inspiration from this community.” Gunn is the music director at Plymouth Regional High School where he conducts the Concert Band, Concert Choir, Jazz Ensemble, and Chamber Singers. Mr. Gunn received a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Ithaca College and his Masters of Music in Conducting from Colorado State University. He has studied conducting with Wes Kenney, Dwight Bigler, Steve Peterson, and Eric Hammer. He performs regularly with the New Hampshire Master Chorale, Manchester Choral Society, and New Hampshire Friendship Chorus. In 2018, Mr. Gunn was a conducting scholar at the Delaware Choral Academy in Aix-en-Provence, France. He is also the Treble Choir manager for the New Hampshire All-State Festival and President-Elect of the NH chapter of the American Choral Directors Association.
Concert Performances are scheduled on Thursday, May 2 at the Gilford Community Church in Gilford, beginning at 7:30 PM, and on Friday, May 3 at St Gabriel’s Catholic Church in Franklin, also beginning at 7:30 PM. The final concert of the series will be held on Sunday, May 5 at Silver Center for the Arts, Hanaway Theatre, Plymouth State University beginning at 3pm. Admittance to all concerts is by choice of donation.