Chorale Sings With Foreigner, Prepares Contemporary Concerts

Fresh from singing with the band Foreigner onstage at Horseshoe Casino Hammond, members of South Holland Master Chorale are busy preparing for their fall concert season. The 60-member Chorale, under direction of Philip J. Bauman, will present a pair of concerts featuring contemporary sacred and secular works in Tinley Park and Homewood.

The free Sunday concerts will be Oct. 5 at 3 p.m. at St. Julie Billiart Church, 7399 W. 159th Street, Tinley Park, and Oct. 12 at 4 p.m. at St. John Neumann Parish, 17951 Dixie Highway, Homewood. Theme for the concerts is “You Do Not Walk Alone.” Accompanying the musical presentations will be Marilyn Bourgeois, piano; Mark Sudeith, organ; Pat White, cello; and Jeff Handley, percussion.

“Everyone has a journey and a story to tell,” Bauman said. “As singers, we do it in song. The story may be ours or that of someone else, but it’s certain to say, we have not traveled alone. Our intersection with others has created who we are, how we see, how we listen, how we feel, and how we care for one another.

“Our collection of songs for our fall concerts touches on a wide variety of emotions from the composers of today,” he continued. “A mix of sacred and secular works reflects moments of celebration, joy, wonderment, consolation, beauty, the hereafter, and now.”

Today’s leading composers, including Dan Forrest, Kyle Pederson, Elaine Hagenberg, Marques Garrett, Rosephanye Powell, Shara Nova and others “bring into focus how our experiences and the villages we have resided in shape us,” Bauman said. “In moments of triumph or despair, know that You Do Not Walk Alone.”

While the summer months normally are a time of relaxation for Chorale members, this past summer was a notable exception. Some two dozen Chorale members traveled to New York City in early June to sing French composer Gabriel Faure’s “Requiem” with an international chorus and orchestra at Carnegie Hall. That was followed by a performance at the Village of South Holland’s Juneteenth observance.

Then, in August the Chorale was invited to join the band Foreigner during its World Tour performance at Horseshoe Casino. The rock band has a longstanding tradition of inviting a local choir, usually a high school or middle school group, to join them in performing the hit song “I Want to Know What Love Is” as part of the band’s efforts to promote appreciation and support for the arts and music education. Because the Aug. 15 performance was at the casino, the band sought an adult choir from the region and reached out to South Holland Master Chorale to join them.

At the conclusion of the song, Foreigner lead singer Kelly Hansen thanked the Chorale members, saying, “Tonight we honor those with the heart and the spirit of life that put that knowledge and that heart and that light into the true meaning of this beautiful song. Thank you to this beautiful choir. … Thank you for giving us your joyous energy and spirit and keeping that energy for music and singing in your lives. … You guys were amazing!”

Bauman said he is “continually impressed with the versatility of our singers and their willingness to explore. I was a bit nervous telling the group about our Foreigner invite; it’s a stretch from singing a Latin Mass. I was surprised and delighted they had the same reaction I did: ‘HECK YES, let’s do it.’ They were all in, as they are for every piece of music I put before them.

“What an amazing group of singers we have in the Chorale and how lucky I am to work year-round with them. We are now turning our attention to the regular concert season, but who knows what invite is waiting around the corner!”

All SHMC concerts are free; donations are accepted. More information about the Chorale and the fall concerts is available at www.southhollandmasterchorale.org or by phone at 708-210-2913.