Season Showcase
Western Colorado Chorale
Multiple Days | March 1 & 2 | 7:30 p.m. & 3:00 p.m.
Love Recital Hall, CMU
Experience the Finale of a Great Conductor, Monte Atkinson in this Western Colorado Chorale Concert with CMU Dept of Music.
Dr. Atkinson’s final performance as conductor is a collaboration with the CMU Department of Music, highlighting the best choral and vocal talents and includes a Chamber group of 15 Symphony musicians. A blend of traditional and new elements of our Chorale, this concert includes Mozart’s Vespers. A reception to honor Dr. Atkinson follows.
This Masterworks Showcase Concert marks a significant blend of the Grand Junction Chorale’s tradition with new initiatives, including a collaboration with the CMU Department of Music. In what serves as my farewell concert, we celebrate both the Chorale’s enduring legacy and its evolving future. The first part of the concert features the Chorale performing excerpts from Michael Tippett’s “A Child of Our Time,” an oratorio that integrates African American spirituals as a powerful statement on oppression and salvation. The second part introduces the inaugural CMU Vocal Showcase, highlighting the diverse talents within CMU’s choral arts, including pieces ranging from Bizet’s vibrant “Toreador Song” from Carmen to Bryan Grosbach’s poignant “My Darling,” set to a poem by my son.
The concert’s finale with Mozart’s “Vespers of the Confessor” encapsulates the evening’s theme of legacy and innovation. This masterpiece combines expressive depth, operatic flair, and beautiful choral arrangements, concluding my tenure with a work that has long resonated with audiences worldwide. As we present this mix of historical significance and contemporary talent, we invite the audience to experience a night of musical excellence that bridges past and present, leaving a lasting impression of the joy and beauty inherent in choral music.