Carleton Jazz Ensemble & Choir Team Up for Concert

The Carleton Choir and Carleton Jazz Ensemble will team up for a collaborative concert performance Sunday, Feb. 25 from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Kracum Performance Hall of the Weitz Center for Creativity. The program will feature a range of musical genres—including jazz, gospel, and global—including an original arrangement that draws from “The New Colossus” by poet Emma Lazarus. This performance is free and open to the public.

This is the first time in many years that the two musical organizations have collaborated on a joint performance. Interim choir director Matthew Olson shares that the choir has been rehearsing choral works from countries around the world including Brazil, Venezuela, and Ireland. The jazz ensemble regularly focuses on improvisation and the fusion between jazz, rock, funk, and Latin influences. Bringing the two music entities together for a combined performance offers both the chance to expand their focus and try something new.

The concert will conclude with an original arrangement by jazz ensemble director Laura Caviani, drawn from and inspired by the sonnet “The New Colossus” by poet Emma Lazarus, which includes the famous phrase “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses” imprinted on the Statue of Liberty. Members of newly-formed student acapella group will also perform.

This event is sponsored by the Carleton College Department of Music. For more information, including disability accommodations, call (507) 222-4475. Kracum Performance Hall is located in the Weitz Center for Creativity, 320 Third Street East in Northfield.