NIC Spring Celebrations concert May 2

NIC Director of Bands Bryan Hannaford speaks onstage during NIC’s Spring Jazz Concert on April 25 at Boswell Hall Schuler Performing Arts Center on NIC’s Coeur d’Alene Campus.

The North Idaho College Music Department will perform a Spring Celebrations concert at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 2 at Boswell Hall Schuler Performing Arts Center on NIC’s Coeur d’Alene Campus.

The concert is free and open to the public.

The Spring Celebrations concert will feature musical performances by The Cardinal Chorale directed by NIC Director of Choirs Max Mendez and The Cardinal Chamber Orchestra directed by NIC Director of Bands Bryan Hannaford.

The Cardinal Chorale will perform “High Lonesome Mass” with the composer and guest artist Tim Sharp playing banjo. “High Lonesome Mass” is a set of early Christian Mass music accompanied by bluegrass instruments. 

“This piece represents a rich tradition of American music,” Mendez said. “The ‘High Lonesome’ bluegrass sound of artists like Bill Monroe and Del McCoury combined with the High Mass make this work interesting and diverse.”  Mendez is a professor at North Idaho College. He has been active in the Inland Northwest music community for almost 25 years, dividing his time between conducting, teaching and performing.  For the last 18 years at North Idaho College, Mendez has conducted the NIC Cardinal Chorale, Chamber Singers and Cardinal Voices.

“I’m beyond thrilled to welcome Dr. Tim Sharp, a world-renowned composer and conductor, onto the Schuler stage,” Mendez said. “He has been such an important mentor in my career and I’m honored to share the stage with him.”

The Cardinal Chamber Orchestra will perform two of three parts of the “3 Idylls” composed by Frank Bridge in 1906. The second part, Allegretto poco lento, is melancholy but in a syncopated bluesy way, and the third part, Allegro con moto, is full of nervous energy, Hannaford said.

Hannaford said he is excited to lead the Chamber Orchestra in a few other varied pieces of repertoire in concert and that attendees should be excited to hear a “La La Land” medley. The “La La Land” film score received the Oscar for Best Original Film score at the 2017 Academy Awards.

For more information, contact NIC Director of Choirs Max Mendez at (208) 769-3275 or max.mendez@nic.edu; or NIC Director of Bands Bryan Hannaford at (208) 769-3258 or bryan.hannaford@nic.edu.

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