First United Methodist Church presents choral concert July 31

NORWALK — Familiar hymns, spirituals and new songs will highlight a choral concert set for July 31 at First United Methodist Church. The church's Chancel Choir and vocalists from the area are combining to present the free musical event to "bring together those who love to sing and those who enjoy listening" for a summer event supporting the church's sanctuary renovation, said Carol Phillips, director. COVID-19 pandemic issues over the past 30 months have made both weekly performances and concerts very difficult for choirs, Phillips noted, with some church choirs still not performing at Sunday services. "It's our desire to keep choral music alive, despite the pandemic problems," Phillips said. "The main purpose of this concert is to give singers the opportunity to do what they love — sing! "We've been having a great time during the weekly rehearsals leading up to the concert. It's wonderful to hear the harmonizations, strength in voices, and feel the emotional connections to the music and words that come from singing," she added. A highlight of the choir's repertoire for the concert is composer Eric Whitacre's "Sing Gently," which he wrote at the height of the pandemic. The piece debuted as a virtual performance on July 19, 2020 by 17,572 singers from around the globe. That performance can be viewed on YouTube. "This piece truly demonstrates how we can bring our entire world together through music," Phillips said. "And it is just beautiful." Other works for the performance include spiritual and gospel tunes, an arrangement of the hymn standard, "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty," John Rutter's "Look at the World," and a medley of "Do Lord" and "That Old Time Religion" by the men of the chorus. The finale will be author Julia Ward Howe's "Battle Hymn of the Republic." Accompanist for the concert is Dennis Stoneham. The Chancel Choir and volunteer voices from the area total 40 for the concert, Phillips said. "It's a nice number to work with, and everyone really seems to be enjoying this opportunity to make music again." The free concert will be presented at 3 p.m. July 31 in the sanctuary at First United Methodist Church, 60 W. Main St., and all are welcome. A freewill donation basket will be available to help with efforts to renovate the church's historic circular sanctuary.