Bigfork Musicians perform Sea Symphony

 Glacier Symphony and Chorale are ending their season on a high note.

The GSC completes its 31st season May 10-11 with the performance of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “A Sea Symphony,” a work of tremendous musical depth and demand for orchestra, chorus and two soloists.

The Glacier Symphony and Chorale will perform “A Sea Symphony” Saturday, May 10 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, May 11, at 3 p.m. Both performances are at the Flathead High Performance Hall in Kalispell. John Zoltek will conduct the orchestra and chorale. Jim Stanard is the chorale director who prepared the 75 singers for this challenging score. The music of Ralph Vaughan Williams is set to the poetry of Walt Whitman.

The concert marks the final performance for Stanard, who is retiring after eight years as the Glacier Symphony and Chorale Director. “For me, Vaughan Williams’ Sea Symphony is a wonderful choice to end my tenure as the director of the Glacier Chorale,” Stanard said. 

Described as choral symphony, the “Sea Symphony” utilizes the chorus as an equal part of the orchestra timbre in all four movements.  Williams drew conceptual inspiration for the symphony from the poetry of Whitman, specifically his volume “Leaves of Grass.” The singers are involved in nearly every measure of the piece for its 70-minute duration. “It is a testament to the fine players of the symphony and the singers of the Chorale that we can take on such an ambitious project,” Stanard said.

John Pearson, a Bigfork resident who has sung with the Glacier Symphony Chorale for 14 years, said, “I think this one of the most challenging pieces we’ve ever done. The size and scope of it are quite terrific. I love the music. It’s unlike anything else we’ve ever done.”

“A Sea Symphony” required constant rehearsal for the singers, who received their scores several months ago. “We knew we were going to do this at the beginning of the season, and I’ve been working on this for over six months,” Pearson said. “It will be a good way to end Jim’s career here. He’s done so many wonderful pieces that we wouldn’t be exposed to. To end on this thing is a real high note.”

Gina Lapka, soprano, and Stephen Kalm, baritone, will perform as the soloists in “Sea Symphony.”  

Zoltek said “A Sea Symphony” is a tremendous performing opportunity for the symphony and chorale. The only other time the chorale and orchestra get to perform with each other is usually during the Glacier Symphony and  Chorale’s performance  of Handel’s “Messiah” each December. 

“This will be a once in lifetime chance to hear this music live in concert in the Flathead Valley,” Zoltek said. The “Sea Symphony” will comprise the second half of the orchestra’s two performances. Zoltek has paired two other English composers for the first half of the programs. “Upon Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring” and “Summer Evening by the River” by Frederick Delius and Imperial March by Sir Edward Elgar.

Tickets for the concert can be purchased online at www.gscmusic.org or by calling the GSC box office at 407-7000. 

Tickets range in price from $15 to $32. All youth through grade 12 are admitted free to this Masterworks concert. Sponsors for the concert are Rotary Clubs of the Flathead Valley, Plant Land, Montana Club, Stillwater Christian School and Red Lion Inn.