Spring Concert

The Angelica Cantanti Youth Choirs will present their Spring Concert at 2:30 p.m. Sun. May 6 at St. Michael's Lutheran Church, 9201 Normandale Boulevard, Bloomington. A freewill donation will be taken in place of admission.

The five choirs, ranging in age from 7 - 18, have spent much of 2007 exploring how freedom can be expressed and are bringing this idea to life with a concert themed "Let Freedom Sing".

A focal point of this concert will be the world premiere of "Angels" based on a poem written by Angelica singer Hannah Preves Helgeson, age 9. This poem honors her beloved grandmother, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra violist Alice Preves, who died in November, 2006.

"Angels" explores freedom from the perspective of being transformed from the limitations of the human form. The text has been set to music for solo viola, treble choir, and piano by Angelica director and composer Nancy Grundahl. Kirsten Doctor, violist with the award-winning Cavani String Quartet and a former student of Preves', will be premiering the work with the chorus.

A performance of the book "There's A Big, Beautiful World Out There" will be presented in word, picture and song by the three younger Angelica choirs. The book explores the theme of being afraid. It was written by Bloomington author and illustrator Nancy Carlson, on September 12, 2001.

The concert also features two spirituals; "Woke Up this Mornin" and "Freedom Train's A Comin." It will close with a performance of "Caged Bird" with original words by award-winning poet Maya Angelou and set to music by Dan Kallman.