Ring Out, Wild Bells composed by Bend’s own James Knox
The 2018 edition of the seasonal favorite, Holiday Magic will feature the world premiere of new music written specifically for the Cascade Chorale. The new work, Ring Out, Wild Bells, places the text of the poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson in a dynamic, contemporary orchestral and vocal setting. Composer James Knox says, “When I first read the poem, I immediately related it to the state in which the U.S. is in right now and how we are viewed globally. In no way did I want to write something that had a political statement tied to it, but I felt compelled to compose and came up with a setting that had dramatic flair and creating a sound that made a bold statement.” Knox was surprised that the piece seemed to write itself in less than two weeks during a very tumultuous time in his life.
The concerts on December 8 at 3pm and 7pm and December 9 at 3pm, will showcase the musical talents of the Cascade Chorale and instrumentalists from the Central Oregon community and in addition to the premiere of Ring Out, Wild Bells, includes beautiful, traditional music of the season. The Saturday and Sunday matinee performances feature the delightful, charming and talented Bend Children’s Choir. Saturday evening’s performance includes Bend Camerata — a talented Bend-based chamber ensemble that presents a wide variety of classic choral repertoire.
The Cascade Chorale and the Bend Children’s Choir are under the direction of James Knox.
The Cascade Chorale, a community chorus, is part of the music department at Central Oregon Community College. Our members range from experienced choristers who have sung with the Chorale for decades, as well as members that have just recently graduated from high school. The Cascade Chorale has been under the direction of James Knox since 2004, and averages 75 talented singers.
The Cascade Chorale Association (CCA) is a 501(c)3 organization which provides financial and organizational support to Cascade Chorale. CCA is a proud member of Central Oregon’s Arts & Culture Alliance.
CCA’s mission is to make choral music accessible to everyone in the Central Oregon community. Our concerts are an enormous logistical and financial undertaking but, despite the cost of hiring support musicians, renting venues, and community projects, in 2012 we stopped charging admission to our concert-goers. We now rely solely on donations to fund most of our operations. All tax deductible donations or sponsorships will help us to continue to bring beautiful choral music to Central Oregon.