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War And Peace In Music

WUNC News | By Anita Rao,
Frank Stasio
Published May 5, 2017 at 12:27 PM EDT

Loud drum beats and trumpet calls are prominent features of many war-themed musical works. They symbolize the disruption and angst present in times of conflict. On the other hand, lyrical melodies and poetic vocals are also commonly used to evoke themes of reconciliation and hope. The North Carolina Master Chorale brings this range of sounds to the stage Friday, May 12 in a special performance entitled “War and Peace.”

Host Frank Stasio previews “War and Peace”, the upcoming concert by the North Carolina Master Chorale, with conductor and director Al Sturgis; guitarist Ed Stephenson, and 12 vocalists.

Forty voices perform works about conflict and reconciliation from the 1500s to the 20th century. Host Frank Stasio previews the concert in studio with conductor and director Al Sturgis; guitarist Ed Stephenson, and 12 vocalists. The vocalists include sopranos Rachel Beck, Leanne Glasgow, and Erica Jackson; altos Megan Gray, Carol Ingbretsen and Melody Reed; tenors Andy Beck, Steven Brooks, and Keith Lunday; and basses Duane Donders, Stephen Howell, and Brian Pappal.

North Carolina Master Chorale Chamber Choir conductor and musical director Al Sturgis.
Michael Zirkle /
North Carolina Master Chorale Chamber Choir conductor and musical director Al Sturgis.
The North Carolina Master Chorale Chamber Choir performing at Meymandi Concert Hall in January.
Michael Zirkle /
The North Carolina Master Chorale Chamber Choir performing at Meymandi Concert Hall in January.

Copyright 2017 North Carolina Public Radio
Anita Rao
Anita Rao is the host and creator of "Embodied," a live, weekly radio show and seasonal podcast about sex, relationships & health. She's also the managing editor of WUNC's on-demand content. She has traveled the country recording interviews for the Peabody Award-winning StoryCorps production department, founded and launched a podcast about millennial feminism in the South, and served as the managing editor and regular host of "The State of Things," North Carolina Public Radio's flagship daily, live talk show. Anita was born in a small coal-mining town in Northeast England but spent most of her life growing up in Iowa and has a fond affection for the Midwest.
See stories by Anita Rao
Frank Stasio
Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.
See stories by Frank Stasio