Glacier Chorale takes a spiritual journey

Shauneen Garner will direct the Glacier Chorale in "An American Portrait" on March 18 in Whitefish and March 19 in Kalispell.

The concerts will be among her last with the 70-voice choir, wrapping up a successful 23-year career as conductor of the Glacier Chorale. Her final concert with the chorale will be April 30 at the St. Ignatius Mission Church.

The March concerts are part of the "Music for Sacred Spaces" series held in local churches. Saturday's concert will be performed at 7:30 p.m. at First Baptist Church, 3401 Highway 93, in Whitefish. The March 19 concert will be at 3 p.m at Trinity Lutheran Church, 400 W. California Street, in Kalispell.

"An American Portrait" will feature the 70-voice chorale and the chamber choir Montanaires, in a musical overview of sacred songs and spirituals from our American heritage. Repertoire will include works by America's first composer William Billings; the New England experimental composer Charles Ives; and 20th century giants Aaron Copland and Leonard Bernstein. The second half of the program features spirituals and gospel music, including "Steal Away" and "Music Down in my Soul."

The Glacier Chorale and Montanaires are auditioned choirs of volunteer singers from across the Flathead who rehearse weekly with Garner, the group's founding director. In addition to leading these ensembles, she is also an accomplished organist and harpist, and maintains a private music studio for harp and piano students. Garner previously taught voice and performance skills to hundreds of local children as director of the Glacier Children's Choir. She is leaving the valley this summer to live in Northern California.

Individual tickets for the concerts are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors and $5 for students. They are available at Books West in Kalispell; The Village Shop, Dwyers' Gallery and Montana Coffee Traders-downtown, in Whitefish; Glacier Wallflower in Columbia Falls; ArtFusion in Bigfork; Sliters Ace Hardware in Lakeside; Big Sky Century 21 Realty in Polson; and at the door.

For more information, call 257-3241 ext. 1.