The Northwestern Choir, under the direction of Professor Timothy Sawyer, is excited to be one of the ensembles performing at the Showcase Concert. This will take place on Friday, October 1st at 7:30 PM. You do NOT want to miss this event.
The choir will be performing three selections from P.D.Q. Bach’s Liebslieder Polkas: 1. To His Coy Mistress 2. The Passionate Shephard to His Love 3. It Was A Lover and His Lass. These pieces are “for five-hands piano, a longer set of hysterical pieces, using historical poetry, set to very “tongue-in-cheek” music by Peter Schickele – the man who “discovered” P.D.Q. Bach. He is actually a brilliant composer in his own right, but also has a wonderful sense of humor.”
The choir will also perform a playful piece called Animal Crackers composed by Eric Whitacre, along with poetry by Ogden Nash. This piece features three movements: 1. The Panther 2. The Cow 3. The Firefly.
And finally, along with some alumni, the choir will end with Jesus, I Adore Thee, a classic piece performed by The Northwestern Choir. The Awakening by Joseph Martin will be performed with the orchestra.
“Last year was very somber, serious and heavy. With the 2020 pandemic lockdown, the chaos and division of an election year coupled with the racial tensions here and everywhere, and the ongoing challenges of Covid, we need some fun. As we continue to learn to live “with” Covid and go on with our lives and activities, we really need some laughter and light-heartedness to balance the depth, serious and often depressing nature of this pandemic. I have lost six dear friends in each of the past several weeks, so I feel this! Also, as we welcome alumni back on campus, it’s great to have some fun entertaining them.”
Professor Timothy Sawyer
Professor Sawyer has been the director of The Northwestern Choir for 27 years. The Northwestern Choir has become his “flagship” choir along with the Con Brio Men’s Chorus. He has poured so much time, energy, attention, and passion into these ensembles. These choirs have become a family and it shows through the extraordinary music they make.
