DAVENPORT — The St. Ambrose University Chamber Singers will embark on a 10-day tour of Europe in May, performing in some of the most historic cathedrals in Milan, Venice, Salzburg and Vienna.
The community is invited to enjoy a full performance of the Chamber Singers' international tour program at 7 p.m. April 27, in Christ the King Chapel. The concert is free and open to the public.
The preview program is one of four SAU musical performances in a span of 10 days, including a rare Saturday performance by the symphonic and marching bands in the bandshell at LeClaire Park in downtown Davenport. That noon performance will coincide with the first Farmer’s Market of the season in Davenport.
The 22 members of Chamber Singers have been preparing for the May 14-23 tour of Italy and Austria since August 2016. “The music they have learned and will perform is at a fairly difficult, yet rewarding level. These students are some of the best singers at St. Ambrose and they sound incredible,” said Music Department Chair William Campbell, PhD.
Campbell has composed five choir settings of ancient hymns originally written by St. Ambrose of Milan, the university’s patron saint. The Chamber Singers will perform those hymns in Milan, where St. Ambrose is also the patron saint.
Chamber Singers also will perform works by Mozart in Vienna. They will visit Salzburg, where Mozart lived and composed music.
The International Tour Concert is the first of four performances to be held in 10 days by St. Ambrose vocal and instrumental musicians, all which are free and open to the public. The other three performances are:
Spring Jazz Night, 7:30 p.m., May 5, in the Rogalski Center: This Cinco de Mayo-themed concert will feature the SAU Jazz Band, STAMVOJA, Bella Voce, and BeeSharp. They will perform in special café setting in the Rogalski Center ballroom.
Band Day at the Bandshell, noon, May 6, at the Davenport riverfront LeClaire Bandshell: The St. Ambrose University Symphonic Band and Marching Band will perform at the historic bandshell on the Mississippi riverfront. The event coincides with the first Farmer's Market of the season at the Davenport Freight House. Attendees are encouraged to bring a lunch or purchase food from a vendor, grab a seat or lay on a blanket, and enjoy music performed by SAU students. In case of rain, the concern will be held at the Galvin Fine Arts Center.
Mozart in May, 3 p.m., May 7, in Allaert Auditorium in the Galvin Fine Arts Center: The St. Ambrose University Chamber Singers, University Chorale, and String Ensemble will present an all-Mozart concert, featuring early sacred music by Mozart and culminating in his Requiem.
