Thirteen years ago, then-Newnan High School choral director Kathy Bizarth collaborated with the late Don Nixon to found the Masterworks Chorale. Under Bizarth’s leadership, this group of dedicated adult singers has presented Coweta County with three or more inspiring performances every year since 2003.
Now Masterworks’ artistic and choral director, Bizarth is leading their 2016 fall concert at the Donald W. Nixon Centre, this time joining forces with the Atlanta Young Singers to present “Children Will Listen.”
“The concert will focus on the idea that through the children of our society, we will see change for peace, hope and joy for our world. But because ‘Children will listen,’ we as guardians of these children must be very careful about what we teach them,” said Bizarth. “The First United Methodist Church Carol Choir will be joining us, as will several instrumentalists.”
Some of the pieces Masterworks is performing include “One Voice” and “Children Will Listen,” both arranged by Mark Brymer; “O Clap Your Hands” and “For the Beauty of the Earth,” by John Rutter; and “A Prayer for Our Time,” by Joseph Martin. The First United Methodist Church Carol Choir is presenting “Ubi Caritas,” composed by Becki Mayo, and “God Is Never Late,” composed by Nathan Smith.
Numbers by the Atlanta Young Singers include “For a Child,” by James Mulholland and Fanie Stearns Davis; “Touch the Sky,” by Alexander Mandel (from the movie “Brave”); “When I Grow Up,” by Tim Minchin (from “Matilda”); and “La Luna,” by Cristian Grases.
Virginia M. Thompson, Executive Director for the Atlanta Young Singers, describes the organization as “Atlanta’s premier choir for children and youth, providing a diverse, challenging learning environment that inspires intelligent thought, artistic creativity, and personal growth for more than two hundred talented singers ages 7-18.”
The Atlanta Young Singers have traveled extensively, singing in cultural capitals of North America and Europe and winning invitations to prestigious choral festivals. Most recently, the Singers won a gold medal and diploma at the 2014 World Choir Games.
In July of 2017, Masterworks and the First United Methodist Church Chancel Choir will also exhibit their talents on foreign shores. They will tour Italy, performing at St. Peter’s in Rome and the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi.
The “Children will Listen” concert is Oct. 2 at 2 pm. Tickets are $15 for adults, $5 for students with ID, and children under age six get in free. Tickets are sold at thecentreonline.net/calendar.html and at the Centre box office.
