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Bel Canto Concert Features 'Revelations of Divine Love' and 'Prairie Spring'

Neal Easterling
Photo: The Bel Canto Chorus.

While a 14th Century book by a sickly English mystic might not seem a likely source of inspiration, composer Carson Cooman might beg to differ. His piece, The Revelations of Divine Love (Metaphors from Sea and Sky), was inspired by St. Julian of Norwich’s book of the same name, and will make its Midwest premiere this Sunday with the Bel Canto Chorus at St. Dominic Catholic Parish.

“Most of the text that’s sung in the piece comes from the book and the overall sort of shape comes out of different of the scenes and visions from that text. And so that’s the sort of animating and organizing force under the work,” says Cooman.

The piece will be accompanied by Christian Ellenwood’s Prairie Spring, a piece that celebrates the vast landscape in Nebraska.

“Musically I try to achieve that by using juxtapositions of range. So really stretching from the lowest voices to the highest to create a sense of vastness,” says Ellenwood.

Joy is a WUWM host and producer for Lake Effect.