CHAMPAIGN, IL (Chambana Today) — The Baroque Artists of Champaign-Urbana (BACH) will present a choral concert exploring themes of despair and hope in four musical interpretations of Psalm 42.
Titled “As the Deer Longs,” the concert will be held Sunday, May 31, at 4 p.m. at First United Methodist Church, 210 W Church St., downtown Champaign. The performance will feature the 30-member BACH choir accompanied by an orchestra including harpsichord, strings, horns, flutes, and oboes. Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for students, available online or at the door.
The program includes a 1770 work by Marianna Martines, “Come le limpide onde,” highlighting dramatic solos by soprano Ingrid Kammin, alto Aubrey Hawkinson, and tenor Daniel Borup. Other selections are “Sicut Cervus” by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Dame Judith Weir’s “Like as the Hart,” composed for the 2022 funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, and Herbert Howells’ anthem from the 1940s, written during a time of war.
BACH Music Director Sarah Riskind said, “We hope this concert will allow listeners to experience a range of emotions through this single powerful text… life is full of hardship but, as the Psalm relates, there is comfort in reaching out for connection.”
Founded in 1996, BACH combines professional and amateur musicians to make Baroque-era music relevant for modern audiences, performing works from all periods.
The choir will also perform at the opening concert of the 2026 Five Cities Baroque Festival on Tuesday, June 16, at 7:30 p.m. at Faith United Methodist Church in Champaign. More information is available at baroqueartists.org or via email at info@baroqueartists.org.
