High School Choirs, CWU Singers Perform Works of Vijay Singh

Four Central Washington University choirs and two of Washington state’s finest high school choirs will sing the musical compositions of Vijay Singh, an acclaimed composer and professor at CWU.

Guest choirs from Walla Walla High School and Union High School from Vancouver, Washington are joining CWU choirs for a free concert 7 p.m. Friday, May 30 in CWU’s McIntyre Music Building Concert Hall. The six-choir company is made up of eight conductors and 250 singers.

Singh’s compositions are performed the world over. He recently received his 13th American Society of Composers and Publishers (ASCAP) award and is rapidly gaining international attention. Singh’s “MASS with Orchestra” had its world premiere at New York City’s Lincoln Center in 2011.

“Vijay is a prolific composer,” says Dr. Gary Weidenaar, a CWU music associate professor and director of choral studies. “With over 200 compositions for choir, he has a very wide range of subject, style, and difficulty, always finely crafted and some as challenging as anything a choir can tackle.”

Weidenaar adds the school is proud and pleased to present the high school choirs—some of Washington state’s finest—singing Singh compositions. The CWU choirs will be singing West Coast premiers, such as Oft Have I Vowed; Adonai (in Hebrew); and Lord’s Prayer (influenced by Messian’s O Sacrum Convivium). The complete 29-piece repertoire can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/events/230210560510826/.

TOP PHOTO: CWU's Chamber Choir performs Handel's "Messiah" in April.

RIGHT: Acclaimed composer and CWU music professor Vijay Singh.

CONTACT: Gary Weidenaar | 509-963-1616 | gary.weidenaar@cwu.edu

May 19, 2014