Ketchikan Community Chorus

Singing the Magnificat by Kim André Arnesen is a wonderful musical journey to embark on! It is a beautiful, 40-minute contemporary masterpiece written for a choir, soprano solo, strings, piano, and organ.
1. What is a "Magnificat"?
The Magnificat—also known as the Song of Mary or the Canticle of Mary—is one of the oldest Christian hymns in history. Its name comes from the very first word of the text in Latin: “Magnificat anima mea Dominum” (“My soul magnifies the Lord”).

According to the Gospel of Luke (1:46–55) in the Bible, this is the song Mary sings when she is pregnant with Jesus and visits her older cousin Elizabeth (who is pregnant with John the Baptist). It has been set to music by nearly every major classical composer throughout history, including Bach, Mozart, and Vivaldi.

2. What is the text saying?
At its core, the text is a revolutionary song of praise and radical social justice. Rather than focusing on her own grand status, Mary sings about how God has chosen a poor, unknown, and humble girl to change the history of the world.

The text is divided into structural themes that Arnesen breaks down into seven distinct movements:

-The Personal Joy: Mary expresses overwhelming gratitude and awe that God has chosen a normal person of "humble estate".

-The Great Reversal: The text takes a fiercely political and socioeconomic turn. Mary sings that God will scatter the proud, drag down tyrants and corrupt rulers from their thrones, lift up the poor, fill the hungry with good things, and send the greedy rich away empty-handed.

-Faithfulness: It concludes by praising God’s eternal mercy and faithfulness to promises made generations ago.

3. Why you will want to sing Arnesen's setting
While historical settings (like Bach's) are often fiercely triumphant and fast, Arnesen’s modern setting is beloved by choristers for very different reasons:

-Emotional Depth over Simple Joy: Arnesen intentionally wrote this piece from Mary's perspective, focusing on the weight of her reality. Instead of standard, explosive cheerfulness, the music explores the complex web of emotions a young, impoverished girl would realistically feel: wonder, fear, immense responsibility, compassion, and deep devotion.

-A Voice for the Hurting: Arnesen conceived this specific setting as a "prayer for the sick, the poor, and those who are struggling." Singing it feels incredibly compassionate, serving as a musical blanket of hope for anyone fighting adversity.

-Stunning, Luxurious Harmonies: If you love rich, cinematic, and soaring vocal lines, you will adore this piece. Critics frequently praise Arnesen for his immense "singability". The melodies are deeply intuitive, featuring heart-wrenching, satisfying dissonances that resolve into glowing, radiant chords.

-The Contrast of Light and Shadow: You will get to sing movements like the haunting and contemplative “Et misericordia” (And His mercy), balanced against the exciting, rhythmic, and powerful “Fecit potentiam” where the choir gets to lean into the drama of pulling down those rulers from their thrones.
(Thank you Google!)

Come sing with us! We have an exciting concert in store for February, a beautiful Magnificat with a wonderful guest soloist.

We will take a brief hiatus in December for a light sing-along concert December 23rd, then back to the Magnificat!

🎼 Join us for the Annual Meeting and BBQ! 🍔 🍣
Bring your family, friends, and potential singers, along with a side dish or chips, to go with the provided hamburgers, franks, and punch.
We are in great need of nominations for the board, so please bring your thinking hats, or volunteer! 😃 👍
Come and enjoy a wonderful afternoon mingling with our singing community, and hear exciting news about next year's program. Kids are welcome! ❤️ 🎶

🎼 The Summer Singers are performing July 8th at noon‼️
The weather report looks like it will be under the Pavillion next to the tunnel on Berth 3.
🎶🎶 Join us! 🎶🎶

Misty Sirens performs on the dock June 23rd. Members are some of our favorite chorus members too! ❤️🎶

I got us signed up for this summer, and we'll have to wait and see what dates we get. We usually get a couple performance opportunities each summer, which supports our sheet music expenses.
Rehearsals will start May 9th at 2pm at Lessons a’Lallette, 637 Tower Rd, and are open to all singers of all ages and abilities.
We will be adding some patriotic songs to our normal Broadway selections in honor of our 250th Birthday 🇺🇸🎉

Woo Hoo!!!!