Masterworks Chorale To Perform

Flint Hills Masterworks Chorale will perform John Rutter’s "Gloria" and Haydn’s "Lord Nelson Mass" in a concert at First
Baptist Church on Tuesday May 9.

Rutter’s "Gloria" was commissioned by a choir in Omaha, Nebraska, and was premiered during the composer’s first visit to
the United States in May 1974. "The ‘Gloria’ is interesting because it has everything from the hummable melodies Rutter is
known for to more contemporary sounds," said chorus member Scott Schlender, "and it’s challenging because of its changing
rhythmic patterns". (Or as another FHMC member Paul Brown wryly put it: "I’ve noticed those English composers have a
hard time deciding on a time signature.") John Rutter was born in London in 1945 and was educated at Clare College,
Cambridge. He started composing seriously in 1969 and has composed mainly choral works, including two children’s operas
and works based on the heritage of the Beatles.

Also on the choir’s program for this concert is Haydn’s Mass no. 9, which predates Rutter’s "Gloria" by nearly 200 years.
The mass, composed in 1798, is known both as "Missa in angustiis" (Mass in time of peril) and "Lord Nelson Mass". One
legend has it that the work celebrates Nelson’s victory against Napoleon in the Battle of the Nile (1798), another that Nelson
heard it performed at Eisenstadt, Austria, in 1800.

Flint Hills Masterworks Chorale is conducted by Dr. Ian Coleman. It was founded in 1994 and has since performed a wide
variety of choral works by composers ranging from J.S. Bach and G.F. Handel to Ralph Vaughan Williams and Zoltan
Kodßly. The choir is sponsored by Manhattan Christian College.

Singers interested in joining the choir should contact Mary Ann Littrell at 539-3571 / mlittrel@mccks.edu.

The concert at First Baptist Church (2121 Blue Hills Rd, off N. Manhattan) starts at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday May 9. There is
no admission charge.