Lancaster Chorale Concert

The Lancaster Chorale is offering two free spring concerts, featuring Gabriel Faure’s Requiem and John Leavitt’s Missa Festiva. Acclaimed tenor soloist Timothy Bentch will join the 100-member choir for performances in Gardner Theatre at Lancaster Country Day School on Saturday, May 2 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, May 3 at 3 p.m. No tickets are required, but a free-will offering will be accepted.

The chorale’s program, titled Behold the Lamb, also features a piece by the same name composed by Dottie Rambo. Dr. Bruce Gerlach, who directs the group, has also included anthems by Gounod, Mendelssohn, and Mozart. A 25-piece professional orchestra will accompany the chorale, which draws singers from throughout Lancaster County.

Bentch, who holds a master’s degree from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, has sung with philharmonic orchestras throughout Europe and elsewhere. He was based in Hungary for 12 years, where music critics there hailed him as Hungary’s most significant lyric tenor of his generation. The BBC Music Magazine has praised his “heroic tenor” which has been featured on many classical albums and CDs. He is currently the lead pastor at Mt. Joy Mennonite Church in Lancaster.

For more information about the chorale, visit www.lancasterchorale.org