Welcome to the Durango Choral Society's 50th season, VIVA!
I am honored to have led the Durango Choral Society and the Durango Women's Choir for the past 20 years. Every season brings new joy, surprises, and inspiration, but this year will be truly significant. The Durango Choral Society has evolved through the past 50 years from a small informal group of folks singing madrigals together in the living room to four choirs with singers ranging in age from 8 to 85. We have been around the world, won national awards, and performed at Carnegie Hall. Our many milestones have included a dozen world premiere performances, exchanges in Telluride and Santa Fe, and collaborations with Chamber Orchestras from Denver and Albuquerque, San Juan Symphony, and Music in the Mountains. We have partnered with many choral friends, including the Renaissance Singers, Telluride Chamber Choir, Durango Chamber Singers, Farmington's Caliente Community Choir, and the Fort Lewis College Choirs. Our international travels have blessed us with wonderful experiences performing with choirs from Athens, Budapest, Zagreb, and Prague.
This season we will present a side by side concert with Durango High School, our traditional holiday extravaganza, and the much anticipated winter concerts at the First United Methodist Church. You will be invited to a fabulous, elegant Italian dinner to celebrate our concert tour to Florence and Venice in the spring. Save the date - May 9th! I will again offer a vocal workshop for those of you who want to improve your singing voice. Our popular He and She concert will feature our Women's Choir and the Fort Lewis College Men's Choir with an entertaining musical battle of the sexes.
Our two Children's Choirs offer valuable music education and choral experience for young singers. I am proud of their musical achievements and artistic growth. Come and be thrilled by their beautiful and enthusiastic singing. As we all know, our young people represent the future as the next generation of performers as well as audience members.
VIVA 50 promises to be a great season. As always, we will offer everything from Beethoven to Broadway for your listening pleasure. We hope to bring you joy, inspiration, laughter, love, and fond memories. Thank you for your generous support and patronage. We are deeply honored to present the gift of beautiful music to our community.
Linda Mack Berven
Artistic Director/Conductor
