The ETSU Chorale and 9 Bucs Worth under the direction of Dr. Thomas Jenrette will present their Annual Spring Concert at 8 p.m. Friday at the First Presbyterian Church, 105 S. Boone St.
The 74-voice chorale recently returned from a 12-day tour of Italy where they performed seven concerts. The tour began with a performance at St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice and concluded with a show at St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican in Rome.
“Italy was incredible, we’ve been planning it for years,” Jenrette said. “My favorite is Florence, but many of the students enjoyed Rome because it was straight out of Gladiator, coliseum and all.”
To be accepted on this tour, the Chorale had to submit tapes.
The chorale is a class that is specifically designed for talented singers and is open by auditions only, according to Jenrette. Of the 74 members, 70 are undergraduate students and four are graduate students.
The area audience will be able to hear some of the music the Chorale performed in Italy – some of which was written specificaly for the famous churches in which they sang – at the Spring Concert.
The Spring Concert will also consist of several Folk songs and spirituals such as “Shenandoah,” “The Battle of Jericho” and “Old Time Religion.”
The Spring Concert will be done in a Renaissance style. The group will be singing an entire mass written for two mixed choirs composed by Frank Martin.
“You’ll be exposed to a caliber of music that is nationally rare,” said Chorale member Scott Foshie.
The Chorale has eight section leaders and rehearses several times a week.
The popular male vocal ensemble 9 Bucs Worth will also perform several of the songs they prepared for Italy, including “Loch Lomond” and “Be Ye Glad.”
The concert is free and open to the public.
For more information, call 439-6949.

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