The name may change, but the tradition continues.
The Jay Welch Chorale has been a part of the local music scene for a quarter of a century. But when Jay Welch decided to retire as the group's music director, there was a void that needed to be filled.Fortunately, there was overwhelming support from the members of the old choir to continue on and keep performing. And so the Jay Welch Chorale transformed itself and lives on as the Legacy Chorale, with Brian Bentley as its new artistic director.
Bentley, who also directs the choral program at Hillcrest High School in Midvale, is more than happy with the Legacy Chorale's strength and progress, and with his first season as the group's director. He is fairly new to the ensemble, though.
"I was recommended to guest conduct the choir in the fall of 1998," he told the Deseret News. "And after that, I was asked to become the choir's artistic director."
And on Friday, March 3, at 7:30 p.m., the choir will give a free concert in the Assembly Hall on Temple Square. There will only be one work on the program, British composer John Rutter's "Requiem."
Rutter's music is a mainstay among choirs. And for good reason. His music is melodic and well-written for the voice. And the audience usually leaves the concert humming the tunes.
"Rutter is a good composer," Bentley says. "His music has appeal to both the audience and the chorus.
"In the 'Requiem,' Rutter chose to use both Latin and English texts, much along the same lines as Brahms' 'German Requiem.' And this gives it even greater mass appeal."
The choir will be accompanied by an orchestra made up of local musicians and assembled specifically for this concert.
With 125 voices, the Legacy Chorale is a large choir, and Bentley notes that many of these singers are holdovers from the former Jay Welch Chorale. "We have many of the same singers who were in the Jay Welch Chorale," Bentley explained, "but about one third of the members are alumni of Hillcrest High and their parents."
Bentley foresees continuing the tradition set down by Jay Welch of presenting a three-concert season. "We will go on doing a holiday concert, then a concert that presents a major work like Rutter's 'Requiem,' and a third concert in June, where we do lighter works."
And for anyone who wants to see and hear what Bentley can accomplish with a high school choir, return to the Assembly Hall on Wednesday, March 22, when he will present Hillcrest High's combined choirs in a program that will feature Schubert's Mass in G and Morten Lauridsen's "Lux Aeterna."
"We have a strong performing arts program at Hillcrest," Bentley said. "I teach five choral classes, and there are 265 students altogether in the choirs. That keeps me pretty busy."
But fortunately, Bentley can scrape together some spare time and energy for his other choral venture, with which he envisions a long and fruitful collaboration.
"I'm proud of the Legacy Chorale," he said, "and I plan on doing large, substantial works with them in the future."