(October 6, 2011)

Contact: Dena Pruett, Centenary Marketing & Communication, 318.869.5715

Choir Kicks Off 2011-12 Tour

SHREVEPORT, LA — The Centenary College Choir kicks off its 2011-12 tour on October 8 in Texas. The 2011-12 program features American music, celebrating unique images and sounds of our country.

Centenary College Choir

The following are a few of this year's selections:

  • Aaron Copland's Zion's Walls

  • Randall Thompson's The Last Word of David

  • Eric Whitacre's Water Night

  • Joseph Martin's The Awakening

  • John Rutter's When the Saints Go Marching In

  • James Erb's Shenandoah

  • Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story

The Choir will also pay tribute to our military with A Salute to the Armed Forces. Marking the 10-year anniversary of the 2001 tragedy of September 11, the Choir offers Roger Ames's setting of Amazing Grace as a dedication to the victims' children.

With over 30 performances planned, the Choir's tour will travel throughout Louisiana, Texas, and New York. Some highlights of this season include a performance of Centenary alumnus James Eakin's Flowers Over the Grave of War at Carnegie Hall, and the Choir's 70th Anniversary concert as part of the annual Rhapsody in View.

Hailed as "America's Singing Ambassadors," the Centenary Choir has traveled for seven decades with a repertoire ranging from Bach to Broadway, world folk music to contemporary church music, and oratorio to opera. The Choir was organized in 1941 by Dr. A. C. "Cheesy" Voran, and has performed throughout the world, giving concerts in 32 nations on six continents. The Choir is affiliated with Centenary's Hurley School of Music and offers scholarships for all its members. Members audition November through February for the following term. Persons wishing to audition should contact the director of the choir to arrange an appointment.

For more information about the Centenary College Choir, and future tour dates, visit www.centenarychoir.org.

About Centenary College of Louisiana

Centenary College is a private, four-year arts and sciences college affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Founded in 1825, it is the oldest chartered liberal arts college west of the Mississippi River and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Centenary is one of 16 colleges and universities constituting the Associated Colleges of the South and has been recognized as "One of the Best 371 Colleges" by the Princeton Review and one of "America's Best Colleges" and one of "America's Best Private Colleges" by Forbes.com. In 2008 Centenary College celebrated 100 years in Shreveport and Bossier City.