Outreach to the next generation of choral musicians and audience members is a key mission of our organization, and creating engaging concerts that appeal to an audience across the age spectrum and that challenges and inspires our singers is my goal in March.

The centerpiece of the program is John Rutter’s The Reluctant Dragon, an entertainment originally written for the King’s Singers as a holiday piece (though there is an existing adaptation of the very few “at christmas” lines that we will use). This work is also the source of the “Banquet Fugue” which has been a favorite of choirs for years. There are three large solo parts: The Boy (soprano/alto), The Dragon (tenor), St. George (baritone) who will be auditioned from the chorale and will have to do some (light) acting and staging.

The Knights and Dragons theme also gives us the opportunity to feature some selections from the beloved musical, Man of La Mancha, about that crazy Don Quixote and his adventures with windmills.

We will also do a number of other pieces on Knights, Dragons, and even Nights including Singaporean composer Leong Yun Pin Dragon Dance and Eric Whitacre’s Water Night.