KINGSTON, R.I. –March 31, 2010 –The University Chorus’s spring concert at the University of Rhode Island on Tuesday, April 13, will devote half of its program to a retrospective on the musical form of the Requiem, music based on the centuries-old Mass for the Dead. While the other half of the bill for the 7:30 p.m. concert contains lighter fare, the various works in the first half are not all somber, for the Requiem honors the dead but also rejoices in the promise of new life after death.

The 70-voice chorus, one of the largest musical ensembles at URI, is directed by Andrew Howell, and includes both students and members of the community. Their concert will be held in the URI Fine Arts Center Concert Hall at 105 Upper College Road, Kingston, with $8 general admission, $2 students with ID.

The concert’s musicological journey through the Requiem will feature examples ranging from Gregorian chant to contemporary pieces, including works by Palestrina, Bach, Mozart, Faure, and Rutter. Soprano Carey Shunskis, a senior music education and music performance major in URI’s vocal program, will sing the “Pie Jesu” from Faure’s Requiem.

The second part of the concert program will include works ranging from a setting of “O Shenandoah” to Ernst Toch’s spoken “Geographical Fugue.” Pianist Dawn Chung will be the accompanist.

Concerts seats are available on a first-come basis. The box office opens 45 minutes before the start of each concert. The URI Fine Arts Center Concert Hall is handicap-accessible, and parking is available in the lot behind the building, off Bills Road.

For more information, contact the URI Department of Music at 874-2431 or check the department website at: www.uri.edu/artsci/mus.