SAY A LITTLE PRAYER Kicks Off Choral Artists Of Sarasota's 44th Season

Choral Artists of Sarasota's 44th season, entitled "United in Song," begins with "Say a Little Prayer," Sunday, October 30, 5 p.m., at Church of the Redeemer, 222 S. Palm Avenue, Sarasota. The Choral Artists singers, conducted by Artistic Director Joseph Holt, raise their voices with such inspirational songs as "Amazing Grace," "The Lord's Prayer," a setting of the "Kaddish," the Jewish prayer for the dead along with Buddhist and Native American chants.

Tickets are $35; students $5. A "Meet the Music" session with Holt is Thursday, October 20, 5:30-7 p.m., at Art to Walk On, 16 South Palm Avenue in downtown Sarasota. The event, free to all ticket holders for the concert, includes a wine and hors d'oeuvre reception and a presentation by Holt with musical guests highlighting the program. Note: Selby Gardens will be presenting a one-hour version of this performance on Wednesday, November 9, at Historic Spanish Point. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.ChoralArtistsSarasota.org or call 941-387-4900.

"In this concert, Jewish, Christian, Buddhist and Native American musical selections illuminate various aspects of prayer in our lives," says Holt. He adds that the program features a variety of choral selections with prayer as the central theme - some familiar like "Amazing Grace" and "The Lord's Prayer," along with some unfamiliar pieces that are equally as comforting and inspirational. Individual singers will be featured throughout the program, along with the full choral ensemble of 30 professional singers. A variety of instruments including organ, piano, strings and harp, will accompany the chorus.

"Prayer, an invocation to the divine, is both a personal and communal aspect of universal faiths, opening a dialogue between us and our Creator," says Holt. "We often turn to prayer in times of need and distress, but prayer is also an opportunity to express adoration, confession and thanksgiving."

Holt says that Choral Artist's "United in Song" season "takes us on a journey of renewal, with hope for a brighter future for all. These performances speak to our common humanity as people of faith, people yearning for peace in a discordant world, people seeking justice, people finding consolation in music, and people enjoying the freedoms afforded us by our American principles. The five performances we will present in our 2022-2023 season bring us together through song, a symphony of vocal sound that expresses our inner thoughts and emotions." This year's season is sponsored, in part, by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture, the Florida Council on Arts and Culture, and the National Endowment for the Arts.