MC Concert Choir’s 2020 tour includes local performances 

Feb. 19, 2020

The Maryville College Concert Choir will present three local performances that will include selections from its upcoming tour in Scotland and England.

On Sun., March 1 at 6 p.m., the concert choir will perform at Church Street United Methodist Church in Knoxville (900 Henley St.), along with the CSUMC Parish Youth Choir. The performance is free and open to the public.

The choir will present a spring concert on Thurs., March 12 at 7 p.m. in the Clayton Center for the Arts’ Harold and Jean Lambert Recital Hall. The concert will serve as a fundraiser for the Scotland and England tour. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the Clayton Center Box Office at 865.981.8590. Admission is free for MC faculty, staff and students, although a printed ticket is required for admission.

On Sun., April 19 at 6 p.m., the choir will perform at New Providence Presbyterian Church in Maryville (703 W. Broadway Ave.). The performance is free and open to the public.

The 2020 tour theme, “Of Stones and Stars,” is a representation of the coming together of Heaven and Earth, said Stacey Wilner, director of choral activities at Maryville College.

“Part of the concert program will consist of American and British folk music that deals with topics of war, religion and redemption,” Wilner said. “Selections will include traditional music such as ‘Loch Lomond’ and an ethereal arrangement of ‘Amazing Grace’ by Swedish composer Eriks Esenvalds. The remainder will be music that is a bit more celestial in concept and inspiring to the spirit, such as ‘Northern Lights’ a musical depiction of the aurora borealis by Ola Gjeilo, and a setting of the chant ‘Ubi Caritas’ by Maurice Durufle.” 

Wilner said stones often play an important role in societal development, especially evident in the mystical world of the Celts and Saxons.

“From the astronomical wizardry of Stonehenge to the refinement of St. Paul’s Cathedral, stone work is an essential part of their culture,” she said. “The May 2020 tour includes a tour and performance at Rosslyn Chapel, a well-known center for the Scottish Rite, or the Masons, and fans of the the Da Vinci Code. The cathedrals of Europe are indeed an engineering marvel that inspire a sense of awe, both historically and spirituality, for many who enter their doors.”  

For more information about the concerts, please contact Wilner at stacey.wilner@maryvillecollege.edu.

Maryville College is a nationally-ranked institution of higher learning and one of America’s oldest colleges. For more than 200 years we’ve educated students to be giving citizens and gifted leaders, to study everything, so that they are prepared for anything — to address any problem, engage with any audience and launch successful careers right away. Located in Maryville, Tennessee, between the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the city of Knoxville, Maryville College offers nearly 1,200  students from around the world both the beauty of a rural setting and the advantages of an urban center, as well as more than 60 majors, seven pre-professional programs and career preparation from their first day on campus to their last. Today, our 10,000 alumni are living life strong of mind and brave of heart and are prepared, in the words of our Presbyterian founder, to “do good on the largest possible scale.”