Centenary hosts renowned Turtle Creek Chorale June 24
SHREVEPORT, LA — The Dallas-based Turtle Creek Chorale (TCC), the most recorded men’s chorus in the world, will perform at Centenary later this month during a “Friendship Tour” closing out its 38th season. The 2:00 p.m. concert on Sunday, June 24 at the College’s Brown Chapel is free and open to the public, but online reservations are encouraged. Tickets can be reserved at turtlecreekchorale.com/friendship-tour or by calling 214.526.3214.
James Eakin ’00, a Centenary alumnus and assistant professor of music at the College’s Hurley School of Music, worked as composer-in-residence for TCC for seven years and helped facilitate the group’s appearance at Centenary.
“It is a thrill to work with this fine chorus again and have them share their amazing voices and powerful message of peace with the Shreveport community,” says Eakin.
TCC’s Friendship Tour features a new song-cycle entitled “Peacemakers,” a 30-minute work by lyricist Tony Sylvestri and composers Andrea Ramsey, Gerald Gruss, and Eakin. The composition highlights the process of creating peace through courageously coming to the defense of others in the face of political turmoil, religious intolerance, fear of strangers, and immigration. “Peacemakers” was commissioned by the Chorale in cooperation with several other choruses and fulfills TCC’s mission to “enrich lives through the common language of song.”
“So much has been written about peace, but not how it’s made,” explains Eakin. “The movement I composed, the last movement, is titled ‘Blessed are the Peacemakers.’ It celebrates those who strive for peace in their everyday lives. It is scored for men’s chorus, piano, and string quartet.”
As TCC Artistic Director Sean Baugh explained in a press release, the group believes that, “Music has the affirming power to build bridges. This special tour is a wonderful opportunity for the 200 men of the Turtle Creek Chorale to share positive stories in song. Though communities on this tour may hold social and political views different from ours, we often share much more than we acknowledge. The best way to bridge those differences is with conversation and shared experiences.”
For more information about the Turtle Creek Chorale and the Friendship Tour concert at Centenary, visit turtlecreekchorale.com.