Arts & Culture

UK Professor to Lead Concert Commemorating Civil War Sesquicentennial

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 7, 2015)  Jefferson Johnson, UK choral director and conductor and musical director of Lexington Singers, will lead a world premiere concert commemorating the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War. The "Peace and Reconciliation" concert, featuring the Lexington Singers, Lexington Singers Children’s Choir (LSCC) and the Centenary United Methodist Church (UMC) Chancel Choir, will begin 8 p.m. Friday, April 10, at Centenary United Methodist Church

The centerpiece of the concert will be the world premiere of Rollo Dilworth’s “In the Spirit of Reconciliation.” The five-movement work for chorus, children’s choir and chamber orchestra incorporates a creative blending of the traditional Latin mass text with iconic American and African-American songs. The piece, commissioned by the Lexington Singers, is a fresh, moving appeal for peace and reconciliation from the pen of one of the most prolific choral composers of the 21st century. 

Also on the program is the premiere of Lexington composer Johnie Dean’s “Sing the Song of Peace” for the same performing forces. In addition, the Lexington Singers will perform spirituals and patriotic songs joined by the Centenary UMC Chancel Choir, under the direction of Scott Heersche; the LSCC, under the direction of UK School of Music Associate Director Lori Hetzel; and the Lexington Ringers — a new handbell ensemble formed from the Lexington Singers’ membership. 

About the concert, Lexington Singers Music Director Jefferson Johnson said: “There have been a number of concerts and events over the past four years commemorating the sesquicentennial of the Civil War.  But we thought, in light of the social struggles that we still experience in our culture, it would be enlightening and possibly instructive to celebrate the end of the conflict with a new piece of art on a theme of unity and peace. Rollo Dilworth is a composer known for his spirituals and gospel arrangements as well as for his classical compositions. 'In the Spirit of Reconciliation' weaves these genres together into a thoughtful commentary on the legacy of the Civil War.” 

Tickets for "Peace and Reconciliation" are $22 for general admission, $20 for seniors and $18 for children and students. Tickets can be purchased by calling 859-338-9888.           

For more information on the concert or the Lexington Singers, contact Jefferson Johnson at jeff.johnson@uky.edu or 859-351-0348.

MEDIA CONTACT: Whitney Hale, 859-257-8716; whitney.hale@uky.edu