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onStage at Connecticut College presents Phil Kline's 'John the Revelator' April 8

Lionheart, top, and Ethel.
Lionheart, top, and Ethel.

onStage at Connecticut College presents Phil Kline's "John the Revelator," Friday, April 8, at 8 p.m. in Evans Hall, Cummings Arts Center. The smooth sounds of the vocal ensemble Lionheart combine with the invigorating music of the post-classical string quartet Ethel to bring Phil Kline's full-length choral Mass to life. Truly a 'Mass for the 21st century,' "John the Revelator" is based on concepts from the Bible's apocalyptic Book of Revelation and named after a song by blues legend Blind Willie Johnson.

"The ritual of the Mass itself is kind of a spiritual portal through which one can become part of a universal body," Kline, who has been described as one of America's most important compositional voices, said. "I figured I might enter that portal myself in the process of discovery, and I wished to pass unburdened by a rigid plan, formal or stylistic. Commissioned by WNYC, "John the Revelator" was written for Lionheart, one of America's leading ensembles in vocal chamber music, to be performed with a string quartet. Ethel, a premier post-classical string quartet, boldly infuses the performance with fierce intensity.

Tickets are $22 for general admission; $20 for seniors and $11 for students. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit http://onstage.conncoll.edu or call (860) 439-2787 (ARTS). onStage at Connecticut College is presented with support from The National Endowment for the Arts, New England Foundation for the Arts, Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism and The Day Publishing Company.



March 14, 2011