The Great 50 Days of Easter begins at sundown, the evening before Easter Sunday, and lasts for six more Sundays until Pentecost Sunday. In the Wood River Valley, this celebration has culminated in "Jubilee: An Evening of Spirituals and Gospel Music," a performance by Caritas Chorale—a Wood River Valley choir directed by Dick Brown.
Special guest artist returning to the valley for the two-day concert performance will be soloist James Martin. In addition, R.L. Rowsey will play piano with Martin and the choir.
"It's all part of our concert series," said Brown. "'Jubilee' is Caritas singing gospel and getting spiritual. It's our second year for the series."
"Jubilee" will take place on Sunday, May 1, and Saturday, May 2, at 7:30 p.m. at St. Thomas Episcopal Church on 101 Sun Valley Road. The performances are free and donations are appreciated.
Brown, Martin and Rowsey all grew up with traditional southern gospel and the trio will come together to celebrate spring and bring "soul" to the valley.
"The thing with gospel and spiritual is you learn the basic skeleton of the music and then there's lots of improvisation. You let the spirit take you," Brown said.
Caritas Chorale has rehearsed several pieces for its weekend of performances, but there will be moments of improvisation and the audience will be required to participate.
"It's slack season, and we live in such a great place," Brown said. "We have a great deal to be happy about."
The addition of Martin to the celebration is one of the highlights for the choir and the community.
"He first came out here from a church in Mississippi to St. Thomas after Katrina to thank us for our donations, and he did a program," Brown said. "The second he opened his mouth I knew he had to come back."
Martin has been back twice as a soloist with Caritas and will return again in June for another performance.
"Contrary to popular belief," Brown said, "there will not be an altar call at the end of performance, and we will not go down to the Big Wood River for baptisms. People should come, relax and be taken to another place with this timeless music."
Sabina Dana Plasse: splasse@mtexpress.com
James Martin returns to the valley to join R.L. Rowsey and Dick Brown for a performance of “Jubilee.” Photo by
