Melodies of Love

Two special afternoons of choral music to celebrate the sounds of love and the warmth of spring will be performed by Central Oregon Mastersingers, April 22-23 at concerts in Sunriver and Bend.

If Music be the Food of Love by David Dickau, famous Waltzes by Johannes Brahms and a new piece His Steadfast Love by a local, college composer are among the choruses to be sung. Concerts are scheduled for Saturday, April 22 at Sunriver Christian Fellowship and Sunday, April 23 at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Central Oregon in Bend.

Both shows begin at 3pm and are open to the public free of charge. Donations are welcome. Information is available at centraloregonmastersingers.org.

Artistic Director and Conductor Christian Clark has been contemplating this concert for some time, finally settling on a ‘love theme.’ “As I began brainstorming for this concert, a certain piece came to mind: If Music Be the Food of Love,” he said. “I sang this piece in college and remember that it was well-loved by the singers and audience alike. Given the title, a theme for the program was quickly established.”

The heart of the concert includes another famous composition in Brahms’ Liebeslieder Waltzes. “Having recently performed Brahms’ Requiem at the Unitarian Church in Bend and Carnegie Hall in New York, a contrasting Brahms work made perfect sense for our group,” said Clark. “These beloved waltzes for choir and four-hand piano consist of 18 short movements, sung in German.”

The diverse concert includes a variety of genres. Among them are a premiere of a new piece, His Steadfast Love, by Gabriel Sternberg, a music composition major at Western Oregon University and a former member of Mastersingers. In addition, The Evening Star by British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor; Ubi Caritas et Amor by Frederick Bayani Mabalot; and Adinu, a traditional Sufi melody will be sung. Several recent pop songs arranged for choir will add special variety to the program.

“I spent months listening to and considering hundreds of pieces in order to create a well-rounded and diverse program,” said Director Clark. “The choir of approximately 40 singers will be joined by pianists Diane Thielen and Suzanne Gainey, as well as several soloists from the choir.”

Central Oregon Mastersingers is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and member of the Arts and Culture Alliance of Central Oregon. The group of 40plus singers from Bend, Redmond, Sisters, Sunriver, and other area communities, has been performing for Central Oregon audiences since 2005. Last June the singers were invited to perform Brahms’ Requiem at Carnegie Hall. This summer, Central Oregon Mastersingers will take part in the Sunriver Music Festival’s 46th Season, August 4-17, 2023, with concerts at the Tower Theatre in downtown Bend and at the Sunriver Resort Great Hall. centraloregonmastersingers.org