Press Release
The Taylor Festival Choir celebrates the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. with a choral concert at 4:00pm, March 27, 2022 at Second Presbyterian Church entitled “Reaching for the Light,” featuring four powerful choral works that focus on the struggle for freedom, equality and justice. The concert was originally scheduled for MLK, Jr. weekend but was post poned due to surging Covid-19 cases. The concert will feature four extended choral works:
His Light Still Shines, written by the great American composer Moses Hogan, is a celebration of the life and impact of Martin Luther King Jr., and features Reverend Cecelia D. Armstrong as narrator
Movements from Considering Matthew Sheppard, a choral cantata by Craig Hella Johnson which tells the story of the young gay student in Wyoming whose tragic murder galvanized the world and led to hate crime legislation and expansion of LGBTQ rights
Everyday Wonders: The Girl from Aleppo by Cecilia MacDowell tells the extraordinary story of Nujeen Mustafa, a Kurdish teenager with cerebral palsy who travelled 3500 miles by wheelchair to Germany (pushed by her sister) to escape the atrocities of the Syrian Civil War
Nolemtiba (Destiny)—a Baltic masterpiece whose metaphorical use of an acorn growing into an oak inspired the name of this concert—shines a light on the Baltic nations of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia and their struggle for independence from the former Soviet Union.
(While The Girl from Aleppo and Nolemtiba were programmed for our originally planned Jan uary concert, given current world events the TFC plans to dedicate our performance of these works to the people of Ukraine).
Led by Robert Taylor, the Taylor Festival Choir (TFC) will be joined by singers from Gregg Mid dle School in Summerville, under the direction of TFC member Maurice Burgess, who will be featured in Everyday Wonders: the Girl from Aleppo.
Artistic Director Rob Taylor stated, “Martin Luther King, Jr. was one of my parent's great he roes, and he has been one of mine as well my entire life. This concert honors not only MLK and his work, but embodies his values, as the works we have chosen musically tell the story of mankind's struggle for equality, freedom and universal love and understanding—the never-end ing act of ‘Reaching for the Light.' It is our great privilege to introduce these four powerful choral masterpieces to our Charleston audience for the very first time.”
Tickets for the March 27 concert can be purchased at www.taylormusicgroup.org. Admission is $35 preferred seating, $25 general seating, $10 student. Safety protocols in place for COVID-19 include masks worn by all performers, staff and audience members, and proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test submitted within 72 hours prior to the concert for anyone in attendance. For further information, please call 843.819-6961.
About the Taylor Festival Choir
The Taylor Festival Choir (TFC) is a professional chamber choir based in Charleston, SC whose roster includes professional musicians from across the United States. Founded and conducted by Rob Taylor, TFC is named after and inspired by the life and careers of Rob's parents Bob and Cornelia Taylor, noted choral educators in their home state of Arkansas. Since its inception in 2001, the TFC has toured and been heard in prestigious venues and festivals throughout the U.S. and has garnered a reputation of excellence among critics and choral specialists alike.
The TFC has recorded on the Delos, Centaur, and MSR Classics labels. Their most recent recording So Hallow'd the Time was considered for Grammy awards in multiple categories. TFC serves as the professional choir-in-residence at the College of Charleston. The Taylor Festival Choir performs the finest choral literature from all eras, with particular emphasis on new music and folk music from the Celtic nations. Dedicated to bringing the beauty and spiritual enrichment of choral music to as wide an audience as possible, the Taylor Festival Choir tours frequently, and performs outreach concerts in schools and churches throughout South Carolina and surrounding states.
