College Chorale, director to participate in world premiere.

West Virginia University at Parkersburg's College Chorale will be among four ensembles participating in Saturday's (Oct. 4) world premiere of Paul Halley's "In Sideribus Domi: At Home in the Stars," a new musical composition in celebration of the exploration of the arts and sciences through discovery and creativity.

Approximately 170 singers will premiere the original composition for choir and instrumental accompaniment at 8 p.m., Saturday (Oct. 4) at the new Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences in Charleston.  In addition to the College Chorale, other ensembles include the Charleston Civic Chorus, Greenbrier Valley Chorale, and WVU Chorale Union.

The choirs will be accompanied by an instrumental consort with the composer at the piano. Dr. H.G. Young III, WVU Parkersburg music professor, will conduct. The concert will also feature the WVU African Ensemble and Marshall University Jazz Ensemble.  Halley is a four-time Grammy award winner, former organist at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York, and keyboardist for the Paul Winter Consort.

The new composition is West Virginia's second Continental Harmony project, a nationwide new music-commissioning program of the American Composers Forum and National Endowment for the Arts.  WVU Parkersburg hosted the state's millennial project. "The Unknown Region: A Journey of Faith" by Tennessee composer Kenton Coe was premiered at the college, repeated at the West Virginia Cultural Center in Charleston, and profiled on National Public Radio.

The $118 million Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences, which opened in July, includes a 1,800-seat performance hall, black box theater, art museum, planetarium, and interactive science museum.  Ticket information is available by contacting the Clay Center at 304-561-3570.