Choral concerts set in Sandusky and Tiffin

SANDUSKY — The Firelands Symphony Chorale and Heidelberg University Concert Choir will present two performances of their "Requiem For The Living" concert in Sandusky and Tiffin. The shows will be at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 6 at Trinity United Church of Christ in Tiffin and again at 4 p.m. Sunday, April 7, at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Sandusky. The chorale and university choir, under the direction of Michael Shirtz, will also feature a chamber orchestra and guest vocalist Kirsten Kunkle. General admission tickets are available at firelandssymphony.com/tickets or by calling the orchestra office at 419-621-4800 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays. Adult tickets are $20, and student tickets for youth and college students are free. The concert headline will be Dan Forrest's "Requiem for the Living." The five movements form a narrative, just as much for the living and their own struggle with pain and sorrow as for the dead. This relatively new major choral work features themes of rest and mercy, turmoil, deliverance, peace and imagery inspired by the view of our planet from the Hubble Telescope. The concert will also highlight "A Prayer for Peace" by Matthew Kennedy, a noted composer and Heidelberg University assistant professor of composition/theory. This work, which premiered at this year's Thanksgiving concert, is based on the text of the Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi. Featuring soprano Kunkle, the chorus and sinfonietta of strings and winds, "the work is a beautiful weaving of melodies and harmonies that calls attention to our own opportunities to do good for others, bring peace to the world and be grateful for the gifts in our lives," according to an event statement. "It has been an absolute pleasure to write and collaborate with Mike, Kirsten and the chorale," said Kennedy, whose works have been performed on five continents to critical acclaim. "As a teenager, I always said that all I wanted to do was make music with my friends. With the hospitality and collegial warmth I have received from everyone involved with FSO, it has felt like I am being welcomed as an old friend." The concert program also includes "Ave Maria" and Ola Gjeilo's "The Ground." The Heidelberg University Concert Choir will also be performing "Nyon Nyon" by Jake Runestad, "Unclouded Day" by Shawn Kirchner and "Never Let Go" by Rob Dietz. Audience members may recognize Kunkle as the chorale's artist in residence this season. Most recently, she performed the soprano solo in Poulenc's "Gloria" with the orchestra in March.