Vermont Guides

On Saturday, November 16th, at 7:30 PM, the Aurora Chamber Singers will present its fall concert “Wake Every Breath,” at the College Street Congregational Church, 265 College Street, in Burlington Vermont. The program features sacred choral music by three 18th century composers- Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and William Billings- with very different world views.

Bach was a devout Lutheran, guided in everything by his fervent belief in the glory of God. The program features one of his cantatas, Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, with a setting by Lutheran hymnist Erdmann Neumeister. Mozart was Austrian, steeped in the traditions of Catholicism, and was commissioned to write music “à la mode” to glorify the reputation of his various sponsors. The Chamber Singers will perform one of his many settings of the liturgical Mass, the Missa Brevis in F, K 192. American composer Billings was born in the last years of Bach’s life and outlived Mozart. He is regarded as the first American composer. Born in Boston, his life there pulled him into the center of revolutionary thought. His music was sung by heart around campfires and at political meetings up to and during the Revolutionary War. The spirit and vocabulary of the Revolution and spirit of the Age of Enlightenment will be evident in the program’s presentation of three of his great compositions. His piece Wake Every Breath inspired the title of our program.

Aurora Chamber Singers is a group of experienced choral artists, many of whom have sung together for many years in the Oriana Singers. Under that name, the Singers enjoyed a prestigious 36-year place in the musical life of the region under the direction of their founding director, William Metcalfe. The current group sings under the direction of music director David Neiweem and presents two concerts each year. Recent programs have included Bach Cantatas and Magnificat, Mozart’s Requiem and Coronation Mass, Haydn’s Nelson Mass, Dvorak’s Mass in D, along with other works by Mendelssohn and Brahms. Programs also have included new choral works by American composers, as well as ancient and medieval chant.

Music director David Neiweem is a veteran conductor, having led many professional, community and academic choirs during his 40+ years of work. He is professor emeritus of music at the University of Vermont, where he taught until his retirement in 2023.