MSO offers Invocation March 8

An invocation is an appeal for help or support, often a prayer that seeks a blessing or guidance.

The Manchester Symphony Orchestra invites you to attend its Invocation concert at 3 PM on Sunday, March 8, in Manchester University’s Cordier Auditorium.

Tickets are $20 at www.manchestersymphonyorchestra.org/tickets or at the door. As part of the MSO’s education outreach, admission is free for everyone 18 and younger, as well as all Manchester University students and its employees.

The concert begins with “Invocation” by Gustav Holst, a quiet, meditative piece featuring MSO principal cellist Robert Lynn. It is followed by Errollyn Wallen’s busy and exuberant “Mighty River.”

“I’ve wanted to perform ‘Mighty River’ for a while,” said Conductor Debra Lynn. “It is a minimalist work, a genre we don’t often perform at the MSO. It is an excellent technical challenge for our musicians and offers something fresh and new for our audience.”

“Mighty River” employs a sense of perpetual motion as it weaves its story, featuring the hymn “Amazing Grace” and the spirituals “Deep River” and “Go Down Moses.” Composed in 2017, it honors William Wilberforce, whose tireless work abolished slavery in England. The hymn “Amazing Grace” was written by John Newton, a slave ship captain whose conversion to Christianity came about following a deadly storm at sea. He later became an abolitionist, and his hymn has since become associated with the end of the slave trade.

The second half of the concert features area choirs: Manchester Symphony Chorus, Debra Lynn, conductor; Manchester University A Cappella Choir, Cassandra Petrie, conductor; Purdue University Fort Wayne Choral Union, William Sauerland, conductor; and Wabash High School Choir, Emily France, conductor.

“When Dr. William Sauerland and I decided to combine forces for a choral-orchestra piece for this concert, I had in mind that I would do something Baroque because that’s a challenging musical style for Charpentier’s ‘Te Deum.’ Much of it is very bubbly and upbeat, which makes it great for audiences who might think old orchestra music is boring,” she said.

“Since the ‘Te Deum’ is short, I suggested that Billy select a piece he might like to conduct. He proposed David Conte’s ‘Elegy for Matthew’ because Matthew Shepard would have turned 50 in 2026. Shepard died at the age of 21, the victim of a brutal hate crime.

“The elegy is a stark contrast to the ‘Te Deum,’ so the two choral works are a good pairing. Also, both works are prayers, so they are fitting selections for the Invocation concert,” Lynn said.

The Manchester Symphony Orchestra’s 87th season ends with its Take Flight concert at 3 PM Sunday, May 3, in Honeywell’s Eagles Theatre, presenting the world premiere of “The Flock,” composed and performed by guest artists Warren & Flick. The duo of Jacob Warren and Grant Flick, Honeywell Arts Academy alumni, crafts a compelling sound that blends original composition and improvisation. Other works on the program include William Bolcom’s “Inventing Flight” and the Flying Theme from E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial by John Williams.

North Manchester is one of the smallest communities in the nation with its own symphony orchestra. Residents of Wabash County and what was then Manchester College founded the symphony in 1939. That partnership continues today, in its 87th season, with a carefully crafted collaboration of professional and community musicians, as well as selected Manchester University faculty, staff, and student musicians.  Learn more at www.manchestersymphonyorchestra.org.

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