WILLMAR — With the snow having finally melted after a winter that never seemed to end, the West Central Singers are welcoming spring with two shows over the Earth Day weekend all about the beauty of gardens and nature.
"A Garden of Music" will be performed at 7 p.m. April 22 at Faith Lutheran Church in Spicer and 4 p.m. April 23 at Calvary Lutheran Church in Willmar. Tickets are $10 for adults, children and students are free. Tickets can be purchased at the door.
The program is full of songs that bring to mind soil, seed and flower. It starts with the "Suite of Prayers for Our Earth" by Bret Hesla and Zach Busch, followed by pieces called "The Ground" by Ola Gjeilo and "The Seed" bu Glyn Lehmann.
The next group of songs show off some well-known tunes such as "Singin in the Rain," "Blue Skies," "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" and "The Garden Song."
But even in a musical garden, not everything can be bright and cheerful. The choir will be performing "Life is Not a Garden" composed by Elizabeth Alexander for a high school choir. According to her website, Alexander said the students pushed her to write a song more truthful to their own experiences, which included hurt, fear and anger at the same time as hope and beauty.
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The West Central Singers will finish off the concert with several garden-themed pieces such as "Octopus's Garden," "Down by the Salley Gardens," "The Garden of Music," "The Garden of Love," "The Mind is a Garden" and "For the Beauty of the Earth."
The West Central Singers is a mixed adult choir with members from around the Willmar Lakes Area. It is directed by Naomi Powers Baker. Accompanying the choir on the piano for the spring concerts is Kari Stadem.
The choir was established in 2001 with a mission to provide opportunities for people to not only sing and perform choral music but also give people the chance to hear it as well. Anyone with a passion for singing and music is welcome to join the group, which rehearses Thursday evenings at the Willmar Community Center.
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