A Special Pops Concert: Susquehanna Valley Chorale will be joined by the SVC’s Youth Chorale

The Susquehanna Valley Chorale (SVC) will present its annual Pops Concert The Golden Age of Musical Theatre under the direction of SVC Conductor and Music Director William Payn on Friday, May 12 and Saturday, May 13, at 7:30 p.m. at Weber Auditorium on the campus of Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove.

The performance will feature iconic songs from The Sound of Music, The King and I, Oklahoma, South Pacific, and Carousel and will showcase the talents of the Chorale’s own soloists, as well as special guests the Metta String Quartet.

The Susquehanna Valley Youth Chorale will take the stage and perform four selections from The King and I, The Sound of Music, and Oklahoma.

Broadway’s “Golden Age of Musical Theatre” began on March 31, 1943 when Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma opened at the St. James Theatre. Expectations for the new show – the first collaboration of two experienced Broadway craftsmen – were surprisingly low. When producer Mike Todd saw Oklahoma at its Boston tryout, he left after the first act with the observation: “no legs, no jokes, no chance.” But Todd was wrong. The opening-night audience was ecstatic and Oklahoma began an unprecedented run of 2,212 performances.

SVC soloists for the performance include local singers Adam Dietz, LaVina Truslow, Caroline Pogust, Jennifer Wakeman, Kathi Beiter, Marina Gresh, Diane Scott, Gloria Walker, Tom Maurer, Coleen Renshaw, Sara Kelley, John Warfel, Amy Caron and Nathan Baker-Trinity.

SVC soloist and Lewisburg resident Sara Kelley says of the performance, “The Pops concert is special because it is so fun for the audience – music that is familiar and that they have been singing along with for years. This year is particularly special to me because we’re singing with the Youth Chorale, and my daughter is a member of SVYC. So I get to be on stage with her. I am really looking forward to that. I’m delighted for the young singers that they’ll perform for a large Pops audience, and I think that the audience will be surprised at how talented those young singers are.”

The sponsors for the performance are the Charles B. Degenstein Foundation and Charles and Betty Degenstein Foundation. Co-sponsors include Patricia and James Apple, Computer Support Services, Inc. and Wood-Mode, Inc. Underwriters are Jacquelyn Paul and Albert Bothe as well as an Anonymous donor.

Tickets
Tickets for the performance are $22 for adults and $8 for students. Youth under the age of 12 are free.

Season subscriptions for 2017-18 may be purchased at the Pops concert at a special “early bird” price of $65 and consist of four “freestyle” tickets that can be used at any SVC concert in any combination.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.SVCMusic.org, by calling 570-547-0455 or at the door.