The Hartford Chorale, a major symphonic chorus of the Hartford region, will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2022, and to mark the event, has commissioned a new choral work to be premiered at the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts on May 20, 2022 at 8:00 p.m.

The Chorale commissioned Scott Perkins, a Connecticut native presently on the faculty of California State University, who holds Master’s and PhD degrees in Composition from Eastman School of Music, to undertake this project. The result, some two years in the making, is Alive Poems: Stories of Our American Heritage. This choral composition is inspired by and celebrates the immigrant experience as reflected in the poetry of six women, including Maya Angelou and current U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo. The Hartford Symphony Orchestra, the Chorale’s principal performance partner for these 50 years, will perform with the 130-voice Chorale. Richard Coffey, Hartford Chorale’s Music Director since 2005, will conduct the performance.

The concert, which will also feature works by Johannes Brahms and Ralph Vaughan Williams, will take place Friday, May 20, 2022 at 8:00 p.m. in Mortensen Hall at the Bushnell. Tickets are available

For more information about the Hartford Chorale and its 50th Anniversary season, please contact https://hartfordchorale.org. Contact Richard Coffey at richardcoffey1081@gmail.com or Scott Perkins at scott@scott-perkins.com to arrange interviews. For tickets to the May 20 Anniversary Concert, visit www.hartfordchorale.org or call (860) 547-1982.

For more information, contact::fred.baker@comcast.net