Olympia Choral Society

Following its successful debut in the winter of 1998, the OCS was convinced that if one concert is good, a second must be better. Hence, the first of many Spring concerts. It terms of format, it was vastly different from later presentations in the sense that it was billed as a celebration of Easter, with music focused on the Lenten season and the Easter holiday.

Of course, the three B’s were featured - but not the usual ones. J. S. Bach was present, as was Beethoven, whose Hymn to Joy, an adaptation of the choral work of the 9th Symphony, served as the finale and gave the concert its title. But the third “B” was a composer named Paul Basler and the work was truly unique in every respect. It was a Gloria, but it was from his Missa Kenya and bore a distinct African pulse. This was a concert that beautifully represented the season, and served as a timely and reverent source of inspiration.