Music Gettysburg Presents
Choral Vespers for Advent

(11/22) The Schola Cantorum and the Mount St. Mary’s University Chorale Chamber Ensemble, conducted by Andrew Rosenfeld, will offer festive Choral Vespers for Advent on Sunday Nov 28th, at 7:30 p.m. at the chapel of Gettysburg Seminary.

Choral vespers, or evening prayer, is a meditative and stimulating sung prayer event combining sung prayers, psalms, motets and readings and assembly singing in the beautiful setting of the Gettysburg Seminary chapel at 147 Seminary Ridge, in Gettysburg. The one hour choral vespers will follow the order of a typical 17th century evening prayer service, featuring a new setting of Psalm 122 by Stephen Folkemer who will serve as organist for this vespers. Choral works will be conducted by Andrew Rosenfeld of Mount St. Mary’s University. The vespers will also include the "Magnificat" by Leonardo Leo.

The Chamber Ensemble is making its first appearance at Choral Vespers, and will perform Hugo Distler’s "Praise to the Lord," joining the Schola Cantorum for Psalm 122, the "Magnificat" and other offerings. The setting of Psalm 122 is newly translated by Seminary biblical scholar Brooks Schramm set to new music by Folkemer. The Rev. Dr. Pamela Cooper-White will officiate.

Rosenfeld has served as Associate Professor of Music and Director of the Chorale at Mount St. Mary’s University since 1997. In addition to directing the vocal ensembles, Dr. Rosenfeld also serves as chair of the Department of Visual and Performing Arts at the Mount, and teaches a wide array of courses in music history and theory and in the humanities. In 2008, he served as a guest conductor with the Maryland Symphony Orchestra, Elizabeth Schulze, music director and conductor, in a performance of Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy in celebration of the Mount’s bicentennial. He has been a member of the Gettysburg Schola Cantorum since 1998; this ensemble premiered his "Psalm 23", a work appearing on the recently released compact disc, Thy Ways Illumine.

Enjoy this choral musical treat at the Sunday evening concert, which is free and open to the public. The Seminary Chapel is on Seminary Ridge in Gettysburg. For more information about this and other concerts in the 2010-2011 Music, Gettysburg! schedule, please call 717-338-3000 ext 2197 or visit the Music, Gettysburg! web site: www.musicgettysburg.org.

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