Ryan Brandau, right, and the assembled voices of the Monmouth Civic Chorus return to Red Bank’s First Presbyterian Church for a special ‘love’ session this Sunday afternoon.
Sure, Valentine’s Day was nearly two weeks ago; this old world has taken more than a couple of turns since then, and most of us have long since restocked our inner seasonal aisles with leprechaun cutouts and marshmallow Peeps.
But to Ryan Brandau and the assembled voices of the Monmouth Civic Chorus, the season of Cupid isn’t over until February sighs its last, so when the venerable vocal organization returns to First Presbyterian (Tower Hill) Church of Red Bank this Sunday afternoon, it’ll serve up sounds that are “sure to lift and inspire… the perfect way to extend the spirit of Valentine’s Day.”
Scheduled for 4 p.m., the concert presentation entitled Love is in the Air finds the MCC celebrating aspects of love — the human emotion that’s hands-down inspired more memorable music than any other — through a set of ballads, madrigals, poems and pop standards that range “from the Middle Ages to the Internet Age.”
It’s a program that juxtaposes works by romantic masters Debussy (“Dieu! Qu’il la Fait Bon Regarder”) and Faure (“Cantique de Jean Racine”) with Brahms lieder, the Emerald Isle perennial “Danny Boy,” and a bus-excursion’s worth of Broadway show tunes.
More than 20 members of the chorus will be showcased in small-ensemble performances interspersed with the selections featuring the full complement of voices. Supporters of the chorus will also have the opportunity to become a “Valentine Virtuoso” by sponsoring MCC’s conductor, accompanist Anna deGroot, one of the ensembles, or the individual song or singer of their choice. Sponsorships range from $50 to $250, and Valentine Virtuosos will be listed in the concert program; take it here for details.
Reserve here or call (732) 933-9333 for tickets ($30 adult, $27 senior, $25 groups of 10 or more, $5 student) to the Sunday afternoon performance of Love is in the Air. The Tower Hill Concert Series continues at First Presbyterian with a March 12 evening performance of Celtic classics and Broadway favorites by harpist Erin Hill.
