Lenten Choral Service on March 26
Dr. James Bingham directs the TPPC Choir with guest artists, December 2018.
On Sunday, March 26, the choir will perform selections from James Bingham’s Requiem, as part of a special Lenten Choral Service. This work was composed in 1998 in memory of a fateful summer ten years earlier. Originally written for soprano and bass soli, SATB choir, and symphony orchestra, it was envisioned as a concert work and not a liturgical work, therefore, it required editing to make it an appropriate length for a church service.
It is dedicated to the memory of three very dear people in Bingham’s life, all dying in the summer of 1988: his sister, Dorothy Lynette Bingham Welsh, who died of breast cancer on Mother’s Day, Paul Poyser, the lead basso in Bingham’s choir, who drowned in Hawaii while on a concert tour to Australia, and his father, Joseph Thomas Bingham, who died in August from mesothelioma.
The words to this Requiem are macaronic in that both Latin and English liturgical and Biblical texts are used. It was inspired by the gentle lyricism, memorable tunes, and simple beauty of both Gabriel Faure’s and John Rutter’s Requiems. Robert Chase, in his definitive work, Dies Irae, A Guide to Requiem Music, states: “Less renowned, but worthy of significant attention, is the beautiful 1999 setting composed by James Bingham…” Even though new to most in the congregation, it is hoped that the message and the music will provide a thoughtful and pleasurable experience for all who attend.
The performers are Denique Isaac, soprano, Melville Andrade, bass, and the Takoma Park Presbyterian Church Choir with additional friends, accompanied by a small group of instruments playing an orchestral reduction composed especially for this church service. This combined choir will be directed by Dr. James Bingham, TPPC Music Director.
Please mark the date in your calendars and enjoy this Lenten worship service.; remote access will be available via our Zoom feed.
Christmas concert, December 2018
