NCS Spring Concert - ANNILIES - Matinee

Join Newburyport Choral Society under the direction of Dr. George Case, the NCS Spring Concert in May will offer audiences an exciting program featuring James Whitbourn’s powerful oratorio Annelies, the only musical setting based on the story of Anne Frank. The Newburyport Choral Society’s Spring Concert will feature British composer James Whitbourn’s powerful oratorio Annelies, the only musical setting based on the story of Anne Frank during the Holocaust. Commissioned and premiered in 2005 by the Jewish Music Institute, librettist Melanie Challenger has crafted Anne Frank’s story into a dramatic and emotional journey for the singers and the audience, alike.

Performed with amplified violin, cello, clarinet, and piano accompaniment and a soprano soloist, the. music features styles that are classical and challenging as well as a cabaret influence, depicting the musical interests of the time period. This work was premiered to huge acclaim, and NCS looks forward to bringing it to Newburyport. The concert will also feature a lecture/discussion by leading experts in the fields of music and history. NCS will end the concert with Whitbourn’s healing All Shall Be Amen and Alleluia, transcending the horrors of history and underlining a belief in the power of the human spirit to triumph.