The University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg welcomes the Heinz Chapel Choir (HCC) to the Mary Lou Campana Chapel and Lecture Center as part of the Joan Chambers Concert Series on Friday, April 19. The performance will begin at 8 p.m. and is free and open to the public.
The Heinz Chapel Choir, founded in 1938, marks its 85th anniversary, as a well-noted and internationally recognized mixed a cappella choir from the University of Pittsburgh. Members of Pitt's student body audition to join the choir, and campus performances are sung in the historic Heinz Memorial Chapel. Since 2014, Dr. Susan Rice has conducted this group, which numbers more than 40 members.
Their Spring Concert program is entitled “Sing & Make Music.” The music selected for the spring concert explores a variety of genres including the group’s origins as a chapel choir in the British cathedral tradition to the present and future of choral music. This includes the music of three American choral composers, Christopher Tin, Timothy C. Takach, and Stephen Paulus, whose works speak of existence, memory, and hope, and the final selections that are creative interpretations of familiar melodies, notably arrangements by members of the King’s Singers and music of the Beatles. The music selected for this program is dedicated to the group’s prior directors Theodore Mitchell “Pop” Finney, Donald Dale Colton, and John “JG” Goldsmith.
The Joan Chambers Concert Series is possible through the generous support of President Emeritus George F. Chambers. It brings local, national, and international artists to our campus for performances of the highest professional caliber. The series is named in honor of Joan Chambers, the late wife of President Chambers, who was an ardent supporter and representative of Pitt‐Greensburg in the community for many years. While her interests were widespread, she especially enjoyed participating in book‐discussion groups, attending cultural events, hosting themed luncheons at her home, and spending winters in southwest Florida. The Children’s Literature Collection in Millstein Library, another of her passions, was developed and named in her honor.