Pilgrim Festival Chorus Celebrates 25th with Two Concerts

Pilgrim Festival Chorus will present its 25th anniversary spring concert, “Old and New,” Saturday, April 5, 7:30 pm, at Scituate Center for the Performing Arts, 606 Chief Justice Cushing Highway, Scituate, and Sunday, April 6, 4 pm, at St. Bonaventure Parish, 803 State Road, Plymouth. The chorus is led by Artistic Directors William B. Richter and Elizabeth Chapman Reilly, and the concerts feature soloists Allyson Lynch, David Lynch, Susannah Thornton, and David Tyler, with a 19-piece orchestra.

“Old and New” is a fitting celebration to mark PFC’s 25th concert season, featuring the exuberant 1749 C. P. E. Bach “Magnificat” (an “old” work) in contrast to Elaine Hagenberg’s sublime “Illuminare,” (a “new” work, recently composed). The Bach composition speaks of joy and celebration, while the Hagenberg piece explores light in the sense of beauty, goodness, and hope. Together, these pieces represent PFC’s broad performance history: vintage works and contemporary selections, with traditional texts and unexpectedly introspective vision, looking forward to a bright future, even while remembering a rich past. “Old and New” also refers to the span of PFC’s membership, many who have sung with the ensemble from its earliest days, beside those who may have joined this season. 

“It’s exciting to be marking this anniversary,” says Artistic Director Elizabeth Chapman Reilly. “I don’t think that anyone in the founding group envisioned this PFC journey. These concerts will be a wonderful testimony to the many individuals that have worked to make PFC a continuing success for 25 years.”

One key feature of the Scituate concert is the addition of the 50-member Scituate High School Select Choir in the “Illuminare” performance. “From the first day of rehearsals, our student singers have embraced this milestone opportunity with vigor! The addition of this ensemble to our Scituate performance promises to deliver a resounding concert to remember,” shares Artistic Director William Richter, who also serves as the student singers’ in-school educator.

Since 1999, PFC has provided South Shore audiences with classical choral music concerts. Close to 100 vocalists of all adult ages from 20 South Shore communities currently fill out the ensemble. In addition to its spring large-scale choral concert, PFC presents an annual winter concert and “Messiah” Sing in December, as well as a summer concert series featuring Broadway and American traditions.

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