At St Petronille Church on May 8th, we will be joined by the Ad Hoc Pickers Bluegrass Band for a performance whose main work will be Carol Barnett's The World Beloved: A Bluegrass Mass. Founder and Music Director Lee Kesselman will conduct. Long-time accompanist of the NCS, William Buhr, will accompany from the keyboard.

You can buy tickets for this concert here on our website.

Carol Barnett’s Bluegrass Mass is a marriage of a choral mass with the down-home sparkle of bluegrass. The music is cheery, folklike and energetic. The composer writes:

To bring the solemnity of the classical choir-based mass together with the down home sparkle of bluegrass — now there’s an assignment. My highest hope is that listeners coming from one tradition — classical or bluegrass — and perhaps dubious about the other, might discover something new and wonderful in the combination, as I have. Composing the music for The World Beloved has given me the chance to write cheery sacred music — all too rare in a medium rife with staid and even lugubrious settings. And it’s brought me back to memories of music heard while visiting my grandparents, country music with a church flavor that told stories and came out of a scratchy old record player. Grandma would not have allowed dancing, but under the table I tapped my toes.

The program will also include American hymn tunes like Amazing Grace, Shall We Gather at the River, and Bright Mornin’ Stars. The Ad Hoc Pickers will also entertain the audience with a number of pure bluegrass selections.

New Classic Singers has been entertaining DuPage audiences with the finest in choral singing and repertoire. Members include solo vocalists, educators, and other fine singers from through the Chicago area. The ensemble is known for its imaginative programs and vocal excellence. The Singers' first CD release, A Family Christmas Album, includes music from past December concerts, and is available at the Arts Center Ticket Office.

Guest Artists: The Ad Hoc Pickers

Jim Cox — bass
Pat Otto — mandolin
Pete Smith — banjo
Alex Koffman — fiddle
Michael Pettersen — guitar