By Lilah Aas, For the Tribune

For 20 years, the Robert L. Myers Art Series has presented the Albert Lea community with concerts that &8220;seek to articulate humanity&8217;s understanding of the divine.&8221; Nov. 19&8217;s concert, &8220;Lee J. Afdahl and Friends,&8221; fulfilled that mission statement beautifully through the diversity of the artists and their selections.

Afdahl is in his 16th season as director of music and organist of First Presbyterian Church of Rochester. In the concert he performed two organ pieces and also provided the accompaniment for his &8220;Friends&8221; on organ and piano. The Friends consisted of violinist Allan Dale, soprano Cynthia Dario-Good, flutist Nancy Osteraas, oboist/English horn player Jennifer Taylor, and the Classic Brass ensemble made up of Ellington Bandel, Warren Bandel, Greg Zent, Eric Staubmuller and Steve Williams.

Variety showcased the talents of each solo musician. Soprano Dario-Good and flutist Osteraas enchanted the audience on several lovely duets, most notably &8220;Oh! Had I Jubal&8217;s Lyre&8221; by Handel and &8220;Transfiguration&8221; by Afdahl. In both selections, voice and flute soared in beautiful harmony.

In &8220;Set Me as a Seal Upon Your Heart&8221; by Scholz, Dario-Good was joined by violinist Allan Dale giving a lush, melodic rendering.

The Classic Brass ensemble was featured on the Handel&8217;s familiar &8220;Overture for Water Music Suite No. 2&8221; and &8220;Worthy is the Lamb&8221; and the &8220;Amen Chorus&8221; from The Messiah. Both were dynamically powerful with pure intonation.

Taylor on English horn joined Osteraas on flute in Faure&8217;s &8220;Sicilienne&8221; in beautiful, lilting harmony.

She also shone on Martin&8217;s &8220;A Dance Piece&8221; and Carter&8217;s Offertory,&8221;

two short pieces that were quite simply fun. It was Marcello&8217;s &8220;Adagio&8221; from Oboe Concerto in C Minor, however, that the audience was treated to the greatest range of dynamic contrast and subtlety.

Two selections in which Osteraas&8217; flute shimmered in the quiet afternoon of the church were

Widor&8217;s &8220;Andante Cantabile&8221; and Faure&8217;s &8220;Morceau de Concours.&8221; Violinist Dale soloed on another Faure selection, &8220;Berceuse&8221; as well as &8220;La Paloma,&8221; which brought a smile of familiarity to the faces of many in the audience.

Throughout the concert, Afdahl ably accompanied on organ and piano, demonstrating why he has had a very successful career as a Director of Music. He also, however, performed as solo organist on &8220;Sun Dance&8221; (from Organ Dances) by Bob Chilcott and &8220;Toccata on Now Thank We All

Our God&8221; by Egil Hovland. Both selections were very modem with dissonances and great energy.

The former, particularly, was quite percussive as it built to the finale. These selections created an interesting contrast to several of the more quiet contemplative pieces.

An unusual aspect of the concert was that it included three hymns in which the audience was invited to sing. It was a thrill to hear the voices raised in song joining the excellent musicians, almost as if we, too, were now friends of Lee Afdahl.

This truly was a concert that encompassed a wide range of styles, periods, and tones. The selections carried the audience on a journey filled with time for pensive reflection, for playful enjoyment, exuberant congregational singing, and left them musically energized.

The final concert in this year&8217;s season will be at 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 3, as the Bloomington Chorale brings Handel&8217;s &8220;The Messiah&8221; to the United Methodist Church of Albert Lea. Don&8217;t miss this wonderful opportunity.