Orpheus Choir perform "Cloudburst"

The Orpheus Choir present a concert by America's foremost contemporary composers of choral music. Joined by soprano Barbara Graham, players from the Vector Wellington Orchestra, the handbell ringers from the Wellington Cathedral of St Paul, organist Richard Apperley, they are led by conductor Michael Fulcher. The programme will include music by Eric Whitacre and Morton Lauridsen, compositions rarely performed in New Zealand.

Eric Whitacre has not yet turned 40 years of age, but has taken the world's choral music scene by storm. His music has been feted in many countries - with "Cloudburst" being one of his best known pieces to date. It features eight handbell players, piano, and four percussion players including wind chimes and thunder sheets. The composer says "Cloudburst is a ceremony, a celebration of the unleashed kinetic energy in all things." The music calls for the singers and players alike to improvise at times as well as sing written music. The text was written by celebrated Spanish poet Octavio Paz.

Morton Lauridsen's "Lux Aeterna" is a non-liturgical Requiem for the Choir and organ and thus ideally performed in the Cathedral. It is a rich and intensely moving work. The final Alleluia gives an uplifting end to the concert and will cure your recession blues.

Hear the magical sounds of these amazing composers' newest works in the resonance of the Wellington Cathedral of St Paul which is perfect for this exciting new music.

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