Sparks: A journey from Renaissance fire to contemporary brilliance

Sun, 23 Nov, 2025 at 03:00 pm UTC-06:00

Voxman Music Building | Iowa City

Chamber Singers of Iowa City
Publisher/HostChamber Singers of Iowa City
Sparks: A journey from Renaissance fire to contemporary brilliance
Advertisement
CSIC's 54th season opens bridging Renaissance drama and contemporary expression across four centuries of choral artistry. The centerpiece, Monteverdi's Il Lamento d'Arianna, is a fragment from his only surviving opera and one of the earliest examples of opera's emotional power. Its grieving lines offer a vivid glimpse into early seventeenth‑century expressive style, where text and music intertwine to heighten pathos. Morley's spirited Fire, Fire provides another Renaissance counterpoint, while works by Jake Runestad and Elaine Hagenberg carry that same intensity into modern choral language. The program's backbone features three majestic works for choir and organ: Charles Wood's radiant O Thou the Central Orb, Edward Bairstow's triumphant Blessed City, Heavenly Salem, and Benjamin Britten's imaginative Rejoice in the Lamb, which sets Christopher Smart's mystical poetry with brilliant choral writing and kaleidoscopic musical imagery. Shawn Kirchner's expressive arrangement of the Appalachian folk song Bright Morning Stars rounds out the evening, letting audiences hear how choral expression has evolved and flourished across four centuries of musical innovation.
Advertisement

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Voxman Music Building, 93 E. Burlington St.,Iowa City, Iowa, United States

Tickets

Sharing is Caring:

More Events in Iowa City

Iowa Hawkeyes vs. UAlbany Great Danes at Kinnick Stadium
Sat, 22 Nov at 03:30 pm Iowa Hawkeyes vs. UAlbany Great Danes at Kinnick Stadium

Kinnick Stadium

Lily DeTaeye
Sat, 22 Nov at 06:00 pm Lily DeTaeye

Wildwood Smokehouse & Saloon

Krisiun at Wildwood Smokehouse and Saloon
Sat, 22 Nov at 06:00 pm Krisiun at Wildwood Smokehouse and Saloon

Wildwood Smokehouse and Saloon

Iowa City, IA - iCandy Male Revue @First Avenue Club
Sat, 22 Nov at 08:00 pm Iowa City, IA - iCandy Male Revue @First Avenue Club

First Avenue Club

Lily DeTaeye at Wildwood
Sun, 23 Nov at 07:00 pm Lily DeTaeye at Wildwood

Wildwood BBQ & Saloon

Open Coffee: Monday Edition
Mon, 24 Nov at 08:00 am Open Coffee: Monday Edition

EntrePartners

2025 Iowa City Thanksgiving Eve Bar Crawl
Wed, 26 Nov at 06:00 pm 2025 Iowa City Thanksgiving Eve Bar Crawl

Tequila Cowgirl

Sweetie and the Toothaches
Thu, 27 Nov Sweetie and the Toothaches

Wildwood Smokehouse & Saloon

The BlackStone Huddle: Iowa @ Nebraska
Fri, 28 Nov at 11:00 am The BlackStone Huddle: Iowa @ Nebraska

503 Westbury Dr, Ste 1, Iowa City, IA

Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap - Riverside Theatre
Fri, 28 Nov at 07:30 pm Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap - Riverside Theatre

119 E College Street, Iowa City, IA, United States, Iowa 52240

Iowa City is Happening!

Never miss your favorite happenings again!

Explore Iowa City Events