The Susquehanna Valley Chorale (SVC) will end its current performance season with audience favorite Pops Concert featuring the music of Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim on Friday, May 10 and Saturday, May 11 at 7:30 p.m. at Susquehanna University’s Weber Auditorium in Selinsgrove.
The Chorale performs under the direction of Bill Payn; Fred Hooper will return as Emcee.
The SVC will be joined by the SVC Stage Band which includes: Dick Adams, David Cover, Kevin Henry, Jack Lawton, Dale Orris, Mike Trego and Chris Wheeland.
Three of SVC’s scholarship singers will perform solos during the performance: Becca Lipsky, Molly Manhoff and Robbie Speece.
Other featured soloists include: Shannon Borchert, Amy Caron, Brian Crane, Josh Deering, Adam Dietz, Marina Gresh, Fred Hooper, Katie Kelley, Sara Kelley, Leta Jo Maue and Rita Palasek.
Songs from the following musicals will be featured in the program: The Frogs, Sweeney Todd, West Side Story, Into the Woods, Candide, and many others.
Singer Doug Spotts said of the performance, “It has been wonderful reconnecting to the SVC after moving back to the area this past summer; for the first time in my professional life, I had the bandwidth to contemplate joining and successfully auditioned in September. It’s a decision I have not regretted as music connects my scientific and artistic interests as a physician, teacher, and healthcare leader.”
Spotts continued, “Singing with the SVC is especially meaningful as many voices are blended and united to create a beautiful result through musical dialogue. It is a model for healing, community, and creating the art of possibility that resonates with me deeply. The music for this Pops performance is complex and challenging, and we have been working very hard to create an end result that will not disappoint.”
Sponsors for the Pops performance are the Patricia McDowell and Dede Gronlund in Memory of Bob Gronlund. Co-Sponsors include Patricia and James Apple, Coleen and Ron Renshaw, the Charles B. Degenstein Foundation, and the Charles and Betty Degenstein Foundation. Underwriters are Dawn Dietz, Anne and Tom Gates, and Judy and Robert Hontz.
Tickets for the performance are $25 for adults and $10 for students.
Tickets are available online at SVCMusic.org, by calling 570-547-0455 or at the door.
The SVC’s new 24-25 season has been announced and includes four performances: The World Beloved: A Bluegrass Mass in October, A Candlelight Christmas in December, Alzheimer’s Stories in March, and Pops: The Best of 30 Years (Part 1) in May. Subscriptions are now available.
Early bird subscriptions of $70 are available until June 30, 2024. Subscriptions include four tickets to any SVC performance, a “Share the Music” coupon to bring a friend to a concert for just $5. After June 30, subscriptions are $85.
For more information about this performance and future performances, visit SVCMusic.org.