Partes Choir here from Russia for Mayfest events

by Marcay Dickens
for The Oak Ridger

The Partes Choir of Obninsk, Russia, the Oak Ridge Chorus and the Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra are merging forces to perform an all-Russian-origin program to close the Oak Ridge Civic Music Association's 1998-99 regular series of concerts.

The concert wil be performed at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 15, at the Oak Ridge High School auditorium.

The Partes Choir arrived very early Tuesday morning
and was greeted at the airport by members of the Sister Cities Support Organization and by John Welsh, ORSO conductor. The choir is in Oak Ridge as a cultural exchange of the Sister Cities Support Organization.

During their short home-stay program, they will be rehearsing frequently at the Pavilion in A.K. Bissell Park, they will perform seven times, and they will be tourists in East Tennessee.

All the music for the ORCMA program on May 15 is of Russian origin. Knoxville composer-musician William Mark Harrell has completed "Slavonica," sketches for choir and orchestra of three Russian hymns. Harrell comments that "these hymns are very singable, and will be enjoyable to listen to."

Sergei Rachmaninoff's dark composition, his "Spring" cantata, tells of a man's wintry thoughts about infidelity and, with the
coming of a new season, a transformation. It will feature Victor Theophylactov of the Partes Choir as bass soloist.

Anyone who heard the Partes Choir during its 1995 visit to Oak Ridge will recall that
Theophylactov has the really low sound of the choir. John Welsh comments that "his
voice will be perfect in the cantata."

The ORSO completes the program performing Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov's often heard symphonic sketches from "Scheherazade." As Tom Carlson points out in the program notes, the composition has "an oriental cultural viewpoint that is part of the Russian character." "Scheherazade" is a fairy-tale-like oriental fantasy; it is very programmatic.

Tickets (with a $1 savings for adults) are available in Oak Ridge in advance at Cat's CDs and Cassettes, Jackson Square Pharmacy, and Proffitt's Home and Men's Store.

Tickets will also be available at the box office the night of the concert for $16 for adults, $14 for
senior citizens, and $5 for students.

Partes Choir to make several area appearances

For information, program notes, and next season's offerings are available on ORCMA's Web site at www.korrnet,org/orcma. Francis Perey is ORCMA's Web master. For more information, call the ORCMA office at 483-5569.

Marcay Dickens plays French horn in the Oak Ridge Symphony ORchestra and is a publicist for the Oak Ridge Civic Music Association.

The Partes Choir from Oak Ridge's sister city of Obnisk, Russia, will make several apperances while in the area.

The choir will perform at the 11 a.m. service Sunday at Grace Lutheran Churche service, 131 W. Gettysburg Ave.

It will also will perform at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 11, at Sequoyah Hills Presbyterian Church, 3700 Keowee Ave., in Knoxville.

The Partes Choir and the Oak Ridge Chorus will perform in concert with the East Tennessee State
University Mountain Empire Wind Ensemble at 8 p.m. Thursday, May 13, in Johnson City.

The concert program will include the premiere of William Mark Harrell's "Slavonica" and Rachmaninoff's "Spring" cantata. It will also include a solo segment for the Partes Choir.

The Partes Choir, whose conductor is Tatiana Bulgakova, will next perform with the
Oak Ridge Chorus (Serge Fournier, conductor) and the Oak Ridge Symphony
Orchestra (John Welsh, conductor) in a concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 15, at the Oak Ridge High School Auditorium.

Conducted by Welsh, the two choral groups with orchestral accompaniment will sing a new composition, "Slavonica" by William Mark Harrell (orchestral premiere), and
Rachmaninoff's "Spring" cantata. The orchestra will also perform symphonic sketches
from Rimsky-Korsakov's "Scheherazade."

The Partes Choir will then perform at the 11 a.m. service on Sunday, May 16, at First United Methodist Church, 1350 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

The choir will also make a Mayfest appearance at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 16, at the Oak Ridge Civic Center.

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