Press Release
The Seattle Peace Chorus & The Shalom Choir
Perform In The Tri-Cities
To Encourage Discussion About Peace & Social Justice
WHO: Seattle Peace Chorus under the direction of Frederick
W. West
Shalom Choir under the direction of Reginald Unterseher
WHAT: Musical Concert Featuring Performances By Both
Choruses
WHEN: October 21, 2006, 7:30 pm
WHERE: Shalom United Church of Christ
505 McMurray
Richland, WA
The Seattle Peace Chorus and The Shalom Choir will
perform in a free joint
concert at Shalom United Church of Christ to encourage
dialogue among
individuals and groups on ways to further peace and
social justice.
The Seattle Peace Chorus’s theme for its November
18, 2006 Fall Concert at
First Methodist Church in downtown Seattle is “The
Common Good.” While
developing music for this concert, SPC recognized the
need to reach out
beyond audiences that normally attend their performances.
To seek more
diverse audiences, SPC contacted local musical groups
in the Tri-Cities.
Their proposal was enthusiastically accepted by Reginald
Unterseher, music
director at Shalom United Church of Christ. “We
are always looking for
opportunities to bring people together with music.
If we are to create a
happy and prosperous future for our families, our communities,
our nation,
we need to focus on the values that we share, and look
beyond our political
and religious labels.” Mr. Unterseher’s
choral compositions are published by
Oxford University Press, and performed all over the
world. The Shalom Choir
will sing several of his pieces on the Saturday evening
concert.
The idea of a joint concert was enlarged to include
a Saturday workshop, to
which the public is invited. The workshop will be from
1:15-4:30 at Shalom
UCC and will include a songs and dances and conversation
cafes – a forum for
sharing open dialogue across religious and political
divides regarding “The
Common Good.”
On Sunday morning Oct 22, the Seattle Peace Chorus
will sing at the
Kennewick United Methodist Church. Following the service
will be a time for
dialogue with congregants.
Fred West, Seattle Peace Chorus Director, says that “For
over 23 years, the
Seattle Peace Chorus has been steadily building bridges
of friendship and
musical celebration both internationally and at home.
We are delighted to
be hosted by the Shalom UCC. We look forward to expanding
our choral world
by this trip.”
The SPC has traveled to the former Soviet Union, Chile
and Cuba - - in two
instances singing at The International Choir Festival.
Its effectiveness in
promoting non-violence has been recognized by former
Russian President Boris
Yeltsin, the Chilean Embassy, and numerous audiences
and individuals. SPC
performed the stunning challenging “Canto General” on
May 7, 2005. In May
2006, SPC brought Mozart’s Requiem to a sell-out
crowd in Town Hall,
Seattle. Other recent performances include singing
at the National Veterans
For Peace Convention, an introductory concert for Jim
Hightower, nationally
known humorous political commentator and progressive
activist and opening
for the Seattle premiere of a documentary film on Vietnam, “Sir,
No Sir.”
The Seattle Peace Chorus’s Annual Fall Concert
will be on November 18th. The
chorus will continue its mission of promoting peace
through music with a
trip to Venezuela in June 2007.
For additional information on the Seattle Peace Chorus,
see
www.SeattlePeaceChorus.org
For additional information on the Shalom Choir, contact
Reginald Unterseher,
509-783-3759.