2003 opening concert well-received

Published 12:00 am Thursday, September 25, 2003

The 2003 concert series of the Robert L. Myers Art Series began on Sunday, Sept. 14, with a concert by the Chord-Ayers, a 35-member choir of men from the western Minnesota prairie-town of Milan, under the able direction of the congenial Ted Albers. The choir was formed in 1969 and has been sponsored since the 1980s by the American Legion Post #359 in Milan. The group has made four recordings and has been very active making many appearances in Minnesota and other places.

The concert opened with the forceful, “Rise Up, 0 Men of God,” arranged by former St. Olaf Choir director Kenneth Jennings. The first half of the concert was sacred pieces which included several Negro spirituals and the traditional favorite of the 1960s, “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” The men looked very sharp in their black tuxedos with gold bow ties and gold vests.

After the brief intermission and offering, the men returned without their jackets and sang the secular half of the program with great gusto. The second half included a wonderful contemporary selection dedicated to those who have lost their lives in war and other tragedies titled, “Who Are the Brave.&uot; Several wonderful show tunes were included as well as a wonderful, cleverly arranged ’60s medley of the Everly Brothers. The program closed with a beautiful arrangement of the “Irish Blessing” by Donald Moore.

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The beauty of the four-part men’s voices and the sincere enthusiasm of the group’s singing were greatly enjoyed by the audience, which filled the sanctuary of the United Methodist Church, in this fall season opener. The community continues to be grateful for this art series which holds true to the memory of the late Robert L. Myers and also for the hard work of the committee who arranges for these fine concerts. This concert was sponsored by Gene and JoAnn Seuser. JoAnn’s sister was one of the very competent accompanists for the group.

The next concert is Ric Ridenour, concert pianist, on Sunday Oct. 5 at 4 p.m.