Drew University's Choral Music Intensive Doubles in Size

By Jason Bishop

Drew University’s biannual Choral Music Intensive, a concert series from the Music Department that blends advanced students with outside professionals, will draw some 40 participants this month, up from about 20 last fall.

The upcoming performance—on Sunday, Sept. 27 at The Concert Hall of the Dorothy Young Center for the Arts—will feature a popular work with an unusual twist. A large choir and orchestra typically perform the standard version of Johannes Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem). CMI, however, will tackle an 1871 version with a choir and two pianists.

The 5:30 p.m. performance is the centerpiece of programming that begins with a 4:45 p.m. discussion of the Brahms piece, which features texts from the Luther Bible. Leading that discussion will be Leslie Sprout, associate professor and chair of the Music Department; Jason Bishop, assistant professor and director of Choral & Vocal Studies; and Melanie Johnson-DeBaufre, acting associate dean and associate professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at Drew Theological School.

Bishop will also conduct the performance, which beyond the expanded choir will feature pianists Krista Sweer and Lisa Wichman. Tickets are $5 and available at The Concert Hall box office the day of the performance. More information is available at choirs@drew.edu.

The CMI is sponsored by the Music Department’s Choral & Vocal Studies program and draws professional musicians from New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. The series features concerts during the last weekend of January and last weekend of September. Previous performances featured a diverse repertoire united by a common theme.