President's Concert Set for May 2

by Richard Veit

The Baylor University School of Music will present the annual President's Concert at
8 p.m. Saturday, May 2, in Jones Concert Hall in the Glennis McCrary Music Building.
Donald Bailey, the Mary Gibbs Jones Professor of Music and director of choral activities, will conduct the performance, which will feature the A Cappella Choir, the Concert Choir and the Baylor Symphony Orchestra.
Bailey said that as in years past, the 1998 concert will celebrate the university's high standards of excellence. "I think the President's Concert showcases what the university is about in terms of quality. The concert will feature the premier performers of the music school."
The music of the concert will interpret the themes of war and peace, represented by the Nelson Mass of Joseph Haydn and Dona Nobis Pacem by Ralph Vaughan Williams.
Haydn composed the Nelson Mass in 1798 and dedicated it to Lord Horatio Nelson, in honor of Admiral Nelson's defeat of a French naval fleet during a battle of the Napoleonic Wars.
Dona Nobis Pacem depicts humanity's continual cry for peace and the ending of war. The Vaughan Williams work -- written in 1936 -- draws its inspiration from several Biblical passages (from the books of Jeremiah, Daniel, and Haggai) that emphasize peace.
Lynda Keith McKnight, assistant professor of vocal studies, and John Van Cura, professor of vocal studies, will appear as soloists during the presentation of Dona Nobis Pacem. Student vocalists will appear as soloists during the Nelson Mass.
The President's Concert has been a Baylor tradition since 1985. The admission charge is $5. For ticket information, call 710-3991.