In its 68th season, the St. Louis Chamber Chorus is taking a musical tour around the globe. So far, that’s included an exploration of choral traditions around the Baltic Sea and in Mexico; next year will include selections from the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Ancient Greece.
This Sunday’s program, “The Holy Land,” will feature the premiere of “Seeking You,” a new song composed by Kerensa Briggs that uses text from a poem of the same name by Charles Anthony Silvestri. Briggs is a London-based composer who for the last two years has served as the St. Louis Chamber Chorus’ composer-in-residence.
“It was a very inspiring text to work with,” Briggs said. “And ‘Seeking You’ is about finding that kind of holy space and finding peace and searching for something a bit deeper.”
Silvestri’s poem begins: “My sandals gilt with dust and soil; / A threadbare cloak against the chill, / My brittle bones do ache, and still / I journey on into the night, / Following the slender light, / Seeking you.”
“Let’s try and expand the idea of what makes land holy,” said St. Louis Chamber Chorus Artistic Director Philip Barnes. The chorus commissioned Silvestri’s work. “And so [Silvestri] created this poem that talks about the idea of finding a deeper meaning and a mysticism almost in any place where you choose to seek the Holy.”
While “Seeking You” will be a new centerpiece of the holiday program, the concert will also describe the Christmas story through the music of Virgil Thomson (“Scenes from The Holy Infancy”) and Edmund Walters (“Iona”), among others.
Listen to Kerensa Briggs and Philip Barnes discuss the St. Louis Chamber Chorus’ upcoming concert on St. Louis on the Air on Apple Podcast, Spotify or Google Podcast, or by clicking the play button below.
Related Event
What: St. Louis Chamber Chorus performs "The Holy Land"
When: 3 p.m. Dec. 17
Where: Second Presbyterian Church, 4501 Westminster Place, St. Louis, MO 63108
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. Ulaa Kuziez is our production intern. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr. Send questions and comments about this story to talk@stlpr.org.
