Lenoir, NC – The Caldwell Men’s Chorus will present their annual spring concert on Saturday evening, May 10th at 7:30 PM at Lenoir Presbyterian Church, 1002 Kirkwood Avenue NW Lenoir NC. The concert is free and open to the public.
The concert will be a program of patriotic music. It will convene with 2 verses of the “Star Spangled Banner,” followed by a rendition of “In Flanders Fields.” “In Flanders Fields” was a very popular poem written by a Canadian doctor who volunteered for “The Great War” (World War 1) while in his 40s. Next is “A Patriotic Medley” followed by the Coast Guard and Air Force theme songs. While many recognizable patriotic songs are incorporated into this medley, it also contains the Army, Navy and Marine themes. We ask all current service personnel and veterans to stand when their branch of the service is represented in the music. There is a selection called, “We Are Not Enemies,” with music by Appalachian State Professor William Harbison, quoting Abraham Lincoln from his second inaugural address. Then there is a medley called “Patriotic Salute,” with three more popular patriotic songs. Closing out the first half of the concert will be a demanding and very inspiring version of “America the Beautiful.”
The second half of the concert will feature, “The Testament of Freedom,” a work written by composer Randall Thompson while he directed the Men’s Glee Club of the University of Virginia in 1943, in honor of the 200th birthday of Thomas Jefferson. The lyrics in the piece are all quotes of Jefferson.
The concert is in honor of all service personnel, current and veterans. Also being recognized will be Sherry January, the Caldwell Men’s Chorus accompanist, who has been out with an injury and the abruptly named antique store, “Dead People’s Stuff,” who donated a lot of formalwear and accessories to the group.
The Caldwell Men’s Chorus is directed by Keith Smith, and accompanied by interim pianist, Bernadette Watts. There are 21 singers, ranging in age from their 20s to their 80s. These singers are Dennis Bell, David Bigelow, Tim Boone, Kyle Canerday, William Cogdell, Jonathan Duncan, Lucas Duncan, Sherrill German, Reggy Greene, Bill Hall, Michael Jennings, Robert Marshall, Doug McCowan, John McDaniel, Duncan Meeks, Duane Mozingo, Glen Neal, Allen Norrod, Hight Reid, Tony Ruppard and Norm Sherwood
The concert is free, but a love offering will be taken. No tickets are necessary, just show up at the door. For more information, call Smith at 828-322-3169.
