GODFREY – The Lewis and Clark Concert Choir and Limited Edition will present their spring choral concert, “Hang In… Hang On,” at 7:30 p.m. Monday, May 5 in the Ann Whitney Olin Theatre on Lewis and Clark Community College’s Godfrey campus.
Inspiration for the concert came from the “It Gets Better Project,” which was started by Dan Savage and Terry Miller in 2010 to help young people who are facing harassment. In response to a number of students taking their own lives after being bullied in school, Savage and Miller wanted to create a personal way for supporters everywhere to tell LGBT youth, and other bullied teens, that it does, indeed, get better.
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“Everyone deserves to be respected for who they are, but growing up isn’t easy,” said Choral Director Susan Parton Stanard. “Many young people face daily torment and bullying, because they don’t fit in – because they are different.”
The concert will begin with songs that acknowledge the sorrow and loss people face on a daily basis. The songs will include Caccini’s “Ave Maria” with Gail Drillinger on flute, Kinley Lange’s “Agnus Dei,” Eliza Gilkyson’s “Requiem,” and Jeffrey Ames’ “In Remembrance” with David Drillinger on flugelhorn.
Hope will be expressed through Rollo Dillworth’s “Jordan’s Angels,” “The Impossible Dream” from “The Man of La Mancha,” and Limited Edition’s renditions of “Make Them Hear You” from Ragtime, and a choral medley from “Honk! – the Musical Tale of the Ugly Duckling.”
The climax of the concert will be “Testimony,” a piece written by Stephen Schwartz, composer of “Wicked” and other Broadway favorites. Schwartz took lines from the testimonies of “It Gets Better Project” participants who faced fears and bullying. Their testimonies give hope to LGBT and all youth, that they are not alone and it will get better. The concert will end with Paul Simon’s uplifting “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”
Those wanting more information about this performance can call Stanard at (618) 468-4732 or the music office at (618) 468-4731. Admission to the concert is free.
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