Salisbury Chorale Host Maryland Premiere of 'Mass, Op. 12' November 16

SALISBURY, MD---The Salisbury Chorale presents the Maryland premiere of Shan Mariner’s Mass, Op. 12 during its semi-annual concert 4:30 p.m. Sunday, November 16, at St. Francis de Sales Roman Catholic Church.

This unpublished work provides a 20th century setting of the traditional mass based on Gregorian chant. Conducted by Dr. William Folger, director of choral studies at Salisbury University, the mass was written in 1960 and first performed in full in 2003 by the ConChords of Concord College, also conducted by Folger. A psychiatrist who studied piano for 10 years, Mariner composed short piano pieces and works for chamber ensembles with flute. Mass, Op. 12 was his only work for voices.

The concert closes with Anton Bruckner’s Mass in E Minor for eight-part chorus and wind orchestra. Completed in 1866, Mass in E Minor was first performed during the inauguration of Austria’s Linz Cathedral in September 1869 and was Bruckner’s first recognized masterpiece. The BBC hails Bruckner’s work for its “rich harmonic language [and] complex polyphony,” adding that his “compositions helped to define contemporary musical radicalism, owing to their dissonances, unprepared modulations and roving harmonies.”

The Salisbury Chorale includes local community members as well as SU faculty, staff and students. Admission to the concert is $10. The public is invited. SU ID holders receive one ticket free.

For more information call 410-543-6386 or visit the SU Web site at www.salisbury.edu.