UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Cello Choir will present its annual fall performance at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 30, in Esber Recital Hall during the School of Music's Common Hour. The concert includes "Evening Prayer" by Englebert Humperdinck and two movements from "Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 for Orchestra of Violoncelli and Soprano" by Heitor Villa Lobos. Soloists are soprano Lisa Rogali and cellist Pai Liu. The ensemble is conducted by cello professor Kim Cook. Admission is free.
The Penn State Cello Choir was founded in 1992 by cello professor Kim Cook. The ensemble has included students from Taiwan, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Israel, Germany, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Georgia, Texas and California. It has performed for the annual Penn State Montage concerts, Bach's Lunch series, and the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA) conference. Recently, the 22-member cello choir returned as guest performers at the PMEA conference in Hershey. The ensemble performs a variety of music, including arrangements of works by major composers from Gabrielli to Joplin, original compositions by Villa-Lobos, and works by commissioned contemporary composers. The Cello Choir has sponsored two Penn State Cello Festivals since 2000. The cello choir includes cello majors as well as non-major cellists from the Penn State community.