Wichita Chamber Chorale celebrates female composers in two concerts this weekend

The Wichita Chamber Chorale is giving female composers their due in a pair of concerts called “Unsung HERoes” this weekend.

“I wanted to do a program that celebrated the female voice, female composers, because there are many of them,” said Rayvon T.J. Moore, artistic director of the group since 2020. “I could do an entire season of female composers and I still wouldn’t even be scratching the surface.”

The concerts – Saturday night at Chapel Hill United Methodist Church and Sunday afternoon at Aldersgate United Methodist Church – feature composers such as Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, Gwyneth Walker and Alice Parker.

“It’s an opportunity for us to present this repertoire that most folks don’t know, and a few classics that some do,” Moore said. “They deserve to be heard, because their writing is fantastic.”

Moore, director of chorale studies at Friends University, said he and other artistic directors across the country have become “intentional about our programming” and serving audiences from an array of cultures and backgrounds.

“I think it’s important to reflect and see who I have represented in my programming,” he said. “These groups, these minority groups, haven’t been underrepresented, they’ve been under-programmed.”

The 32-member chorale, which auditions every August, has two concerts a year and includes several music educators from the Wichita area.

“Our rehearsals are a lot of fun,” he said. “Not only are we growing as musicians, as an ensemble, but we laugh and just have a good time.”

For the second year this summer, the chorale is presenting “WE (Wichita Ensemble) Sing!” an open invitation for all singers to try their voices on classic choral numbers – Vivaldi’s “Gloria” on July 11 and Brahms’ “German Requiem” on July 18.

“We tend to breeze through large works just because they’re fun to sing and because we don’t get to sing them that often,” Moore said. “It’s a great time to engage the community in the art of singing.”

Wichita Chamber Chorale

When and where: 7 p.m. Saturday, April 2, Chapel Hill United Methodist, 1550 N. Chapel Hill Road; and 3 p.m. Sunday, April 3, at Aldersgate United Methodist, 7901 W. 21st

Tickets: $20 adults, $15 seniors, $5 college students, free for K-12, at wichitachamberchorale.org or at the door