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MAY 4-10, 2016 UCW 13 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM As the 2015-2016 performance season draws to a close, the Cumberland Oratorio Singers prepare for Ola Gjeilo's "Sunrise Mass" on May 13. Dr. Michael Martin, the COS artistic director and conductor sees this as a good choice for ending the season on a high note. "What 's interest ing about the 'Sunrise Mass' is that it is not f ull of con- f lict and discord. Not that there is any thing w rong w ith dissonance: It 's par t of ever y thing and cer t ainly, par t of music. Somet imes, we even use the term 'ear candy ' to describe singers' 'giddiness' to explore the rich- ness associated w ith that k ind of resolut ion of musical conf lict," he said. " W hile it is great f un to perform that k ind of music, it is also nice to en- joy the ease of simple, yet beaut if ul chords. It 's almost as if Gjeilo wanted to compose something is direct ly pleasing to sing and easy to hear. It 's quite ref reshing!" According to Mar t in, the tex t comes f rom the Ordinar y of the Mass. W hile Gjeilo set the meaning of the Lat in tex t respect f ully and obser ves the t radit ions that masses are expected to exhibit, his overall v ision for the piece lies w ithin the t it les of the work, i.e., "The Spheres" for the "Ky rie," are only loosely related to the meaning of the Lat in. In so doing , he reveals a met aphysical journey f rom the heavens to Ear th. The Cross Creek Chorale w ill couple this w ith pieces by Eric W hit acre, Z . Randall St roope and Mor ton Lauridsen. Although this is the last official performance of the season, Martin's love for the communit y is strong and he is always looking for ways to engage the singers with audiences. Later this summer, they will sing, once again, for the outdoor concert at Festival Park near the July 4 holiday. Martin is also hopeful that there will be more joint ventures with the Fayet teville Sym- phony Orchestra. Next year marks the 25th season for the oratorio singers and Martin is planning with that in mind. "Our first concert will be a nod to the very first piece performed by the COS back in 1991: Mozart's Requiem," he said. "We hope to feature area high school choir members as part of this performance and bring back charter members of the organization. Of course, we will perform "Messiah" at the holidays and have pieces featuring organ and brass, as well as feature an area high school choir. For our 25th year, it will be a wonderful celebration of choral music!" COS continues to grow and prosper, and the group is always looking for new members. Interested singers can contact Martin through the website, www.singwithcos.org. The "Sunrise Mass" takes place at 7:30 p.m. at St. Ann Catholic Church on May 13. Cumberland Oratorio Singers End Season on a High Note by STEPHANIE CRIDER STEPHANIE CRIDER, Editor. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomingweekly.com. 910.484.6200 EVENTS REGISTER FOR SUMMER CLASSES 1 s t S e s s i o n S u m m e r C l a s s e s R u n M ay 2 3 - J u l y 1 9 ; 2 n d S e s s i o n C l a s s e s R u n J u n e 1 3 - A u g u s t 8 . REGISTER FOR SUMMER CLASSES Registration locations: Fayetteville Campus • Tony Rand Student Center Spring Lake Campus • 171 Laketree Boulevard Fort Bragg Campus • Fort Bragg Training & Education Center A military friendly school offering more than 200 programs. Many are 100% available online. Visit www.faytechcc.edu/academics/online-programs - (910) 678-8400