CHOIR PRESENTS MASTERPIECES

‘PRECISE MUSICALITY': The critically acclaimed ensemble Seattle Pro Musica performs Sunday. (Submitted photo).

LA GRANDE - The critically acclaimed choral ensemble Seattle Pro Musica will perform at Eastern Oregon University Sunday at 7:30 p.m. in McKenzie Theatre.

The EOU Chamber Choir, which recently returned from a tour of China, will also perform for the concert under the direction of Peter Wordelman.

Widely considered to be one of the finest ensembles in the Northwest, Seattle Pro Musica is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence and the ASCAP/Chorus America Award for Adventurous Programming of Contemporary Music. Seattle Pro Musica is one of seven choirs nationwide to be selected for the NEA's American Masterpieces Choral Initiative.

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer has praised the group for its "crystalline textures and precise musicality" as well as for "provocative and evocative" programming. They have appeared in concert across the U.S. and Canada performing music ranging from Medieval chant to choral masterpieces, as well as works by present-day composers.

Composer and conductor Karen P. Thomas is the artistic director and conductor for Seattle Pro Musica. Her experience includes a wide variety of choral and orchestral music, from early music to world premieres of new works. She has produced five critically acclaimed commercial CD recordings with the ensemble and received the Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence and the ASCAP-Chorus America Award for Adventuresome Programming of Contemporary Music.

The concert is being sponsored by The Community School of the Arts at EOU. Tickets are $10 general and $5 for students or children and are available at Sunflower Books or online at www.eou.edu/csa. For more information call The CSA office at 962-3629 or

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The CSA is sponsored in part by Capps Broadcasting and The Observer. Pro Musica's appearance is made by possible through an American Masterpieces Choral Music grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.