The SOU Chamber, Concert, and Alumni Choirs together with the Rogue Valley Chorale present their winter concert titled: “Verdi’s Requiem” directed by Dr. Jerron Jorgensen on Saturday, March 15, 2025 at 3:00pm at the SOU Music Recital Hall.
Two of the Rogue Valley’s longest-running choral organizations—the Rogue Valley Chorale and the choirs of Southern Oregon University—are embarking on an exciting new initiative, Master Voices Series, an annual collaboration focused on sharing choral masterworks of the highest caliber with Rogue Valley audiences! In 2025, we are thrilled to present Verdi’s epic Messa da Requiem, considered among the greatest crowning achievements of all Western art and a rare treat for both audiences and performers alike. In addition to the Rogue Valley Chorale and the SOU Concert, Chamber, and Alumni Choirs; we will be joined by an orchestra of Southern Oregon professionals and a quartet of professional soloists from around the United States, including bass Benjamin Sieverding, tenor Justin Staebell, mezzo-soprano Robyn Rocklein, and soprano Christi McLain.
$30/ general admission/ $25 seniors. Sorry, no free tickets, comps, or coupons will be available for use on this concert. Livestream available for $15/household at https://sou.universitytickets.com
About the Rogue Valley Chorale: For over four decades the Rogue Valley Chorale has been at the heart of the arts scene in Southern Oregon. The 100 members who make up the Chorale are men and women with diverse musical backgrounds including professional singers, actors, music educators, and gifted vocalists who simply love to sing. Since its founding in 1973, the chorale has contributed to the cultural atmosphere of Southern Oregon by providing audiences with exceptional classical choral works including Bach’s St. Matthew Passion and Mass in B Minor, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Brahms’, Mozart’s, Faure’s Requiems and many other major works.
In 2001 the group presented the Verdi Requiem with the Rogue Valley Symphony. In 2009 the Chorale was featured with the Symphony performing Orff’s Carmina Burana. The Chorale presents contemporary choral works including George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Leonard Bernstein, Broadway classics, and even Simon and Garfunkle and the Beatles. The Chorale is committed to showcasing the works of local and emerging artists and is pleased to add to its repertoire by commissioning original compositions. The organization’s concerts are featured on the stage of the beautiful Craterian Ginger Rogers Theater is located in downtown Medford, Oregon. The Rogue Valley Chorale nurtures young singers through the Rogue Valley Youth Choruses. The 200 talented young singers perform in four different choruses. They appear with the Rogue Valley Chorale, at state choral competitions, in local schools, and for community organizations. Many of the young people who participate in the Youth Choruses are inspired to continue singing in college and local choirs.
The SOU Chamber Choir is dedicated to the highest levels of ensemble singing, the SOU Chamber Choir has performed to acclaim throughout the west coast of the United States, and internationally in Asia, Europe, and Mexico. Praised by iconic composer Morten Lauridsen as “Superb … in the top rank of university chamber choirs in the United States”, the 40-voice ensemble specializes in the new and seldom-heard repertoire, as well as the performance of large-scale choral-orchestral works such as JS Bach’s Mass in b minor, and Saint Matthew Passion. Chamber Choir collaborated this Fall with internationally acclaimed soprano, Julianne Baird who praised the group for its “crystalline diction and pitch” saying that the performance achieved a “transcendence” and that it was a privilege to perform with them. The SOU Chamber Choir has performed numerous times with the Rogue Valley Symphony Orchestra, recorded for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and has been a featured ensemble at conventions for the National Association for Music Education.
SOU Concert Choir is made up of undergraduate students, graduate students, and community volunteers. Some singers are classically trained, while others are new to singing in a choir. Our singers work together to rehearse music from all time periods; Renaissance to present. We are thrilled to have graduate students and SOU Chamber Choir members as leaders in the ensemble. We also have music education students! This choir works as a team to create beauty. Concert Choir meets Monday and Wednesday evenings. We are always looking for new members.
