The Galesburg Community Chorus, the oldest community music organization in the area, kicks off its 81st season with rehearsals Monday, Aug. 24, at 7 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church in Galesburg — building toward a fall concert on Saturday, Nov. 21, that takes on one of the most emotionally powerful pieces the group has ever performed.
Dr. Tim Pahel, the chorus’ Artistic Director, and Will Culbertson, its board president, joined Galesburg’s Morning News to talk about “Considering Matthew Shepard,” a 2016 choral work exploring the 1998 hate-crime murder of Matthew Shepard, and what audiences and singers alike can expect this season.
They talked about:
- What “Considering Matthew Shepard” is, and why it’s unusual for a choral piece to be built around real, recent events
- Will Culbertson’s own personal connection to the story, from performing in “The Laramie Project” at Knox College to later working under the piece’s composer in Austin, Texas
- How the Chorus has grown since the pandemic, now numbering around 65 singers
- What it takes to join — no audition required, just show up Monday
- What’s ahead this season, including a March guest performance by Millikin University’s vocal jazz group and a May concert combining seven languages with the Monmouth College Chorale
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