The Hartsville Community Chorus (formerly the Hartsville Civic Chorale) is celebrating its 30th year in a big way! “The HCC is both following our traditions and looking forward,” notes James Beaumier, Artistic Director since 1990. “We are performing the timeless masterpiece, "Messiah" by Handel on December 6th and looking forward with a performance of the very modern and exciting "Carmina Burana" by Carl Orff in the spring."
Powerful and inspirational, the iconic Handel’s “Messiah” is loved world-wide for its beautiful arias, rousing choruses and timeless message. The work which was originally composed in 1741 as an Easter offering has become a traditional Christmas concerts. The performance of “Messiah” will take place on Tuesday, December 6, 2011 at 7:30 p.m. at West Hartsville Baptist Church.
Based on 24 of the medieval poems in the Carmina Burana Collection, Carl Orff composed the cantata “Carmina Burana” in 1935. The best-known movement is the electrifying "O Fortuna" that opens and closes the piece.
"Carmina Burana," featuring the beautiful children’s voices of the Hartsville Children’s Chorale and the Palmetto State Boys Choir as well as the HCC and singers from Hartsville High School, will be performed on April 29, 2012.
Rehearsals for “Messiah” will begin this Tuesday at the Hartsville High School Chorus room at 6pm. Singer’s dues are $15/person, $25/couple, $10/student each semester. Auditions are held for soloists, generally selected from the membership of the Chorus itself. All vocalists participating in HCC have at least an intermediate level of sightreading ability in music.
The mission of Hartsville Community Chorus is to perform and promote a diverse, high-quality choral repertoire for Hartsville and surrounding communities.
History of the HCC:
The Hartsville Civic Chorale (now the Hartsville Community Chorus) was formed in 1981 by two Coker College professors, John Stewart, Professor of English and Dr. Joseph Jackson, Music Professor, as a successor to the Hartsville Choral Society, which was founded in the 1960's by Stennis Walden, also a Coker professor. The Choral Society generally performed sacred anthems and carols and included membership primarily from local churches. The first program by a combination of local churches, essentially the initial performance of a community chorus, was in April of 1961. Thus the Community Chorus, in one form or another, has been in existence for nearly 48 years.
Dr. Joseph Jackson was the director from 1981 to 1990 when Dr. James Beaumier became the Chorale’s director. Dr. Beaumier (Artistic Director) is in his 22nd year of leading the Chorus. Dr. Beaumier and the Community Chorus Board have brought the HCC to new levels, performing with a number of professional orchestras including the SC Philharmonic Orchestra, the Charleston Symphony Orchestra and most recently with the Long Bay Symphony. The Chorus has also collaborated with In The Wings Theater Production Company, the Coker Singers, the Hartsville High School Singers, the Hartsville Middle School Arts Magnet Chorus and with our affiliated organization, the Hartsville Children’s Chorale. The chorale traveled to five European countries in 1994.
The Chorus is known to perform challenging repertoire, including both traditional and new music and the ensemble has become one of the best community choruses in the state as well as a leading (non-profit) arts organization in the region. The Chorus has been supported financially by numerous individuals and donors and has received foundation support from the Black Creek Arts Council, The Coker Foundation and the Byerly Foundation as well as many individual donors.
Dr. Beaumier is honored to be the director of the Hartsville Community Chorus. “Many years ago when I began studying choral music in graduate school I became interested in the ‘monumental’ works of choral music, in particular those written for chorus and orchestra. I am delighted that this organization, our community and the musicians involved have given me the opportunity to fulfill the musical dreams that I have had for so long. The music that we perform is at the pinnacle of musical achievement and more broadly all artistic achievement. Unlike visual art, the musical art is created at the moment of performance and must be newly re-created in every performance. In preparing to perform a major work the director and every musician involved must understand not only the music before them, but the composer, the musical style and really the historical setting at the time of the creation of the music. We reaffirm the greatness of a piece of music and give this creative gift to our audiences and place this music in the memory of all participants. For a frozen moment in time, we become part of a timeless tradition, ‘re-connecting’ with the ‘heavenly chorus’ of those who have gone before and of the future generations, many of whom we see beginning their journey with us for the first time.”
About the Hartsville Community Chorus (formerly Hartsville Civic Chorale):
The HCC consists of members from Darlington and Florence counties whose mission is to perform and promote a diverse, high-quality choral repertoire for Hartsville and surrounding communities. We also hope to establish and maintain a tradition of choral excellence, to provide choral and artistic nourishment for our members and to enhance the audience’s enjoyment and appreciation of the choral arts. For more information, please visit http://www.hartsvillecivicchorale.org/.
