DeKalb Festival Chorus presents ‘Highland Voices’ on Saturday

DeKALB – The DeKalb Festival Chorus will present a spring concert of choral music and storytelling from artists of the North Atlantic Isles on Saturday.

The concert will feature arrangements of Scottish and Irish folk songs such as “Loch Lomond,” “Johnnie Cope” and “Wild Mountain Thyme,” and many other pieces that explore the themes of love and loss and war and peace through the historical lens of Celtic artists both ancient and modern, according to a news release.

Folk song arrangements by composers such as Alice Parker, Mark Sirett and Joseph Gregorio will be woven together with poetry and the prose of writers including Robert Burns and Allison Cockburn.

The free concert will be at 7 p.m. Saturday at First Lutheran Church, 324 N. Third St., DeKalb.

Participants are invited to make a donation to support the chorus.

The DeKalb Festival Chorus is celebrating 50 years in 2024 since its founding in 1974 under the direction of William Voltner. The chorus was expanded by Elwood Smith in 1975 and began its affiliation with Northern Illinois University.

Over the past five decades, the DeKalb Festival Chorus has grown and thrived but also encountered challenges such as the recent pandemic. Under the artistic leadership of Paul Marchese, the chorus continues to be a place where the community can gather to share the joy and transformative power of choral music. Members of the chorus come from all walks of life and musical training. Membership into the chorus is always welcomed and encouraged.

For information, visit www.dekalbfestivalchorus.com.