I got to attend last night's Tulsa Boy Singers' spring concert, and it was wonderful. I have never heard a finer sounding choral group in Tulsa. Director Casey Cantwell told KOTV that the choir is at its peak musically, and I believe he's right.
The concert consistent entirely of sacred music, from Palestrina (Sicut cervus) to 16th century England (Byrd, Tallis, Farrant), to modern composers like John Taverner and Franz Biebl. The first part of the concert was a mass by Haydn, accompanied by a trio from the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra. Thanks to the media outlets who promoted it, both nights drew good crowds, though there was room for more.
Watch this space: I hope to have some video of the concert uploaded later tonight.
Although the spring concerts are over, there are still four chances to hear the Tulsa Boy Singers this season. Here's a list of upcoming dates:
- Friday, June 8, 7:30 p.m., Canongate Kirk, Edinburgh. Free.
- Sunday, June 10, 2:00 p.m., York Minster. Free.
- Tuesday, June 12, 1:00 p.m., St. Paul's Covent Garden, London. Free.
- Friday, June 15, 3:00 p.m., Oklahoma Wesleyan University chapel, 2201 Silver Lake Rd, Bartlesville, Okla., part of OK Mozart. Adults $5, children $3.
So you've got one more chance to hear the boys in Oklahoma, but if you happen to be in the UK, you've got three shots at it. Don't miss your chance.
Here is a sample from their concert last Saturday night: From the 16th century, Palestrina's Sicut cervus. That's Psalm 42: "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God." I fumble-fingered and missed a couple of seconds of the start, but I think you'll enjoy it anyway.
Here's another clip from the concert: Maurice Duruflé's setting of Ubi caritas: "Where charity and love are, God is there."
