Evening Light: Mozart's Vespers and Choral Twilight Reflections

Ticketed event $12-$20. Tickets available online at beyondchoir.org 

There is nothing like an evening in the spring. Bursting with joy, anticipation, and reflection. We hope that you will join Beyond Choir for a program that captures the quiet beauty and spirit of twilight. Evening Light centers on Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s reclective Vesperae solennes de confessore, a masterpiece of sacred choral writing filled with joyful praise, and the beloved “Laudate Dominum,” whose soaring soprano line floats above the choir in one of Mozart’s most luminous moments.

The program also features Ralph Vaughan Williams’ beautiful Serenade to Music, a work inspired by Shakespeare that celebrates the power of music to move the soul. adapted from The Merchant of Venice, the text reflects the atmospheric wonder of a spring evening. With its warm harmonies and expressive solo lines, the piece invites listeners into a sound world where voices blend like the fading colors of the evening sky. Originally written by Vaughan Williams for 16 soloists, its vocal warmth and color contrast perfectly with the Mozart.

Set in the historic Pease Auditorium at Eastern Michigan University, this concert surrounds the listener in a grand and resonant space shaped for choral sound. As music unfolds—from Mozart’s radiant sacred writing to Vaughan Williams’ reflective beauty—Evening Light becomes an atmosphere of warmth, wonder, and quiet joy.