CRESTVIEW — First Presbyterian Church of Crestview’s weekend Centennial Celebration kicked off Thursday night with Schola Cantorum’s spirited performance of classical, Broadway and American Songbook favorites.
The church, long the Crestview host for the 15-voice Northwest Florida State College community chorus’ twice-yearly concerts, continued celebrating 100 years of community service with an 11 a.m. worship Sunday morning, followed by a catered dinner-on-the-grounds.
In their concert, titled “An Evening at the Opera,” Schola Cantorum — Latin for “school of singing” — performed familiar works in multiple languages.
While not all audience members may have recognized the selections by name, the music was certainly familiar.
Many brides, for example, have promenaded down the aisle to Richard Wagner’s 1850 “Treulich Geführt” from the 1850 opera Lohengrin.
Adult contemporary singer Nana Mouskouri’s “Song for Liberty” came from Giuseppe Verdi’s “Van Pensiero” from his opera “Nabucco.”
Verdi’s “Anvil Chorus” from “Il Trovatore” was fodder for the Marx Brothers, showing up in three of their comedies.
Given surprise solos from “Oliver!” and a medley of Irving Berlin favorites, culminating in his 1918 “God Bless America” with its stirring 1938 introduction, the audience left with heads full of hummable songs and anticipation for Schola Cantorum’s Christmas concert.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Schola Cantorum performs 'Evening at the Opera'