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Arts & Entertainment

First Music and Arts, and The First Congregational Church of Greenwich present The Choir of the College of William and Mary

First Music and Arts at to host The Choir of the College of William and Mary

The First Music and Arts Concert Series continues its season as they host the 65 voices of The Choir of the College of William and Mary from Williamsburg, Virginia, on Saturday evening, March 17, at 8 p.m. in the sanctuary of The First Congregational Church in Old Greenwich. This performance is given as part of their spring tour that presents concerts in the states of Virginia, Connecticut, New York, and Pennsylvania.

With the 2011-2012 academic year, the Choir of the College of William and Mary celebrates 89 years of choral singing at the second oldest institution of higher education in the United States (chartered 1693). The Choir is an undergraduate ensemble which represents a wide array of disciplines. Auditions are held at the beginning of the fall semester. The Choir also regularly ventures beyond the boundaries of William and Mary’s campus, taking an annual, regional, five-day Spring Tour in mid-March, and every third year traveling and performing overseas. This past summer the Choir joined with the Botetourt Chamber Singers on a tour of Italy and Greece singing throughout the southern half of Italy as well as two cities in Greece. Other past tours include Spain, Portugal, and Morocco in 2008 as well as Romania, Hungary, Slovenia and Croatia in 2005.

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Their director James Armstrong, Jr., Director of Choirs and Associate Professor of Music, received his undergraduate degree from Princeton University and his master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he studied conducting and voice with Robert Fountain. Before coming to the College of William & Mary, Professor Armstrong held faculty appointments at Mount Holyoke College, Vassar College and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research interests range from 18th-century Viennese sacred music to historically-informed performance.

The choir will perform a variety of works from the standard choral repertoire, including selections from Franz Liszt’s Missa Choralis, Gustav Mahler’s Scheiden und Meiden, as well as traditional folk music from Haiti and America.

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The First Congregational Church is located at 108 Sound Beach Ave. in Old Greenwich, opposite Binney Park. The building is handicap accessible, and lighted, free parking is available behind the church building. This special concert is free and open to the public. A free-will offering will be accepted to assist in the continuation of the First Music and Arts Series.

For more information, contact Director of Music Dr. Craig Scott Symons at 203-637-1791 ext 22 or email him at craigs@fccog.org

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