We Grow Stronger: Chorale, Chamber Singers, and Campana Consort Set to Captivate in Upcoming Concert

The Pitt-Greensburg Chorale and Chamber Singers, along with the Campana Consort, will put on this semester’s choral program “We Grow Stronger” at the Mary Lou Campana Chapel and Lecture Center on Thursday, Nov. 16 at 7:30 p.m. at no charge and will perform it the following day at Murrysville’s Newlonsburg Presbyterian Church.

Renee Patricio, senior at Pitt-Greensburg and president of the chorale, explains the program’s title, and says, “It symbolizes bringing our choir together. We aspire to build upon our past achievements and to push beyond what we have accomplished before.”

The concert will be led by Choral Program Director and Instructor of Music at Pitt-Greensburg Christopher Bartley.

“I do a lot of making the music engine go,” Professor Bartley says.

The chamber singers will perform “Ave Maria” by Igor Stravinsky and “Salve Regina” by Franz Liszt, and the chorale performance will showcase a diverse range of classical compositions like “Daemon Irrepit Callidus” by Gyorgy Orban, “Ave Verum Corpus” by Mozart, and “Domine Si” by Joseph Eybler. 

Modern compositions, including Jocelyn Hagen’s “One Step” and “Belong” and Tim Takach’s “Insidious,” inspired by the second film in the “Insidious” series, will also be featured.

Takach’s piece, with its ominous whispered message declaring “He grows stronger,” directly references the concert’s name. Despite its spooky undertones, there is more to its inclusion.

“It’s initially a scary thing, but we take that and we turn it on its ear because the set by Jocelyn Hagen is about the difficulty of finding your way in a new place,” Professor Bartley says.

The chorale promises a performance that, through an expansive catalog of musical selections, will encourage a sense of community.

“What unifies the concert’s theme is the idea that we can grow stronger together,” Professor Bartley says. “This is our first concert back since we toured last spring and we are just thrilled with who we are as a group and the music and the message we get to share.”

The Campana Consort takes the stage with a repertoire consisting of film music, arranged by the consort themselves, from Disney, Dreamworks, and more.

“One of the very last songs we sing is a very famous one called ‘Hallelujah’ by Leonard Cohen,” Professor Bartley says. “People will know it because it’s from ‘Shrek.’”

Looking ahead, plans for a collaborative concert named “The Spectrum Concert” on March 21 and 22 at Pitt-Greensburg and March 23 at Seton Hill will involve the Pitt-Greensburg Chorale and Chamber Singers, Campana Consort, and the Seton Hill choir.

Patricio says, “‘We Grow Stronger’” will be a testament to our journey of arriving at where we are today, as a devoted team. Our upcoming performance will be one that I will never forget.”

For those interested in joining the Chorale, Chamber Singers, or Campana Consort, contact Professor Bartley at chris.bartley@pitt.edu.