Dudley Birder Chorale presents "America Sings" concert at St. Norbert College

From St. Norbert College, May 11, 2011
by Mike Counter, mike.counter@snc.edu, (920) 403-3089

The Dudley Birder Chorale will conclude its season Friday, May 20 and Saturday, May 21 with its traditional visit to Broadway, Gospel and Choral Pops. Entitled "America Sings," the program will feature sixteen soloists, an eight-piece orchestra and Kent Paulsen at the piano. America Sings will be presented at 7:30 p.m. both days in the Walter Theatre, Abbot Pennings Hall of Fine Arts on the St. Norbert College campus.

Performing soloists, who are members of the chorale selected through audition, are: Abby Fritz, Amy Helgren, Randi Fay, Kathleen Schumacher, Suzan Sherman, Tim Olejniczak, David Reinking and Troy Frisque from Green Bay, Wis.; Elizabeth Zitny from Oconto, Wis.; Linda Feldmann from Appleton, Wis.; Chad Lemerande from New Franken, Wis.; Jessica Abnet, Michael Ajango, Jon Weiss and Michael Barber from De Pere, Wis.; and Jon Barstow from Suamico, Wis.

The first half of the concert will feature music from the broadway stage arranged for chorus, soloists and piano by director Dudley Birder, including medleys from The Phantom of the Opera, Hello, Dolly!, Man of La Mancha, Broadway Disney musicals and hit selections by George M. Cohan and Irving Berlin.

The orchestra will join the chorale after intermission to perform America the Beautiful along with a collection of five gospel numbers entitled Feel the Spirit by John Rutter. The evening will conclude with a 15-minute Birder-orchestrated arrangement of the hit musical Les Mis