The University of Delaware Department of Music will present the 80-member University of Delaware Symphony Orchestra under the direction of James Allen Anderson and the 100-plus singers of Schola Cantorum directed by Paul D. Head in a program titled “War and Peace.”

Performances will take place at 8 p.m., Friday, May 5, in Mitchell Hall on the UD campus, with a free pre-concert lecture at 7 p.m., and also at 3 p.m., Sunday, May 7, at the Cab Calloway School of the Arts Theatre, 100 N. Dupont Rd., Wilmington, Delaware.

Works to be featured include Ralph Vaughn Williams’ Donna nobis pacem, with guest artists Rebecca Siler, soprano and Grant Youngblood, baritone; Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 54; and Jake Runestad’s The Hope of Loving.

The program presents a thoughtful forum for all who are considering this timely subject in the light of today’s swirling newsfeeds.

Said Anderson, “The artists grapple with the concept of war and peace in works written on the cusp of conflict. What's in our power as individuals are our own choices, represented with the Shostakovich, and our willingness to accept the simplicity of faith, as in the Vaughan Williams. Both composers are sharing their unique perspectives, grounded in cultural philosophies of their own time...and it's a perspective that should not be lost on us now. The beautiful relationship of these two extraordinary pieces is tied together by the work Schola will perform prior to the Vaughan Williams work, Runestad's The Hope of Loving with its call to ‘Yield to Love.’”

Tickets are $15 for adults; $10 UD for faculty, staff, alumni and senior adults; and $5 for students. Advanced tickets are available through the REP Box Office, telephone 302-831-2204. At-the-door tickets are cash or check only.

The University of Delaware Symphony Orchestra (UDSO), under the direction of Anderson, is an 80-plus member auditioned ensemble comprised of the finest undergraduate and graduate music majors from the distinguished Department of Music as well as gifted non-majors from other departments across campus. The UDSO presents four programs a year and performs literature from the standard orchestral repertoire spanning the Baroque to the contemporary, as well as collaborations with select choral ensembles, soloists, and conductors.

Schola Cantorum is the symphonic choir at the University that is open to students, faculty, staff and community members who love to sing. Under the direction of Head, Schola regularly performs large works such as Orff’s Carmina Burana, Brahms Requiem, Mozart C Minor Mass, and the Rutter Gloria with the UD, Newark and Delaware symphony orchestras.

About the Department of Music

For more than 60 years the University of Delaware Department of Music has been dedicated to the musical growth of its students and the cultural enrichment of the community, offering a range of music majors and minors and presenting a variety of public performances.

In addition to programs for music majors and minors, the department offers classes and activities for the general student population. Approximately 1,000 students enroll each year in music appreciation courses, and more than 500 students earn academic credit by participating in the department's music ensembles and performance programs.

The Department of Music, in combination with the Resident Ensemble Players, offers a large variety of public performances throughout the year in our numerous University venues and in the region.