Hickory – Togetherness is hard to come by these days. We are physically isolated in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19. Meanwhile, ideological conflict is spreading through our families, community, and nation. In response, and joined by area high school choral students, the Catawba Valley Community College Chorus, Lenoir-Rhyne Youth Chorus, and the Lenoir-Rhyne A Cappella Choir, the Hickory Choral Society will present Stand Together, a virtual choir concert on October 25 at 3:00 p.m. HCS will perform a variety of music rehearsed and recorded while physically distant, including an arrangement of the hymn “How Can I Keep from Singing?” and Palestrina’s “Sicut cervus.” The concert will conclude with “Love is Love is Love” by Abbie Betinis and “Undivided” by Karen Marrolli, selections that will feature a mass choir of nearly 250 singers from the above groups.

And when the world exalts derision,
We can choose to lift each other high.
And undivided we will stand,
Stand together, hand in hand.
-Karen Marrolli, from “Undivided”

Corning Foundation has sponsored this Virtual Fall Concert along with Focus Newspaper. The Hickory Choral Society is a funded affiliate of the United Arts Council of Catawba County. For membership and other information visit www.hickorychoralsociety.org or call the Hickory Choral Society office at 828-322-2210. This year marks the 42nd anniversary of the Hickory Choral Society. This concert offers something for everyone. Go to www.hickorychoralsociety.org and click on the blue “YouTube channel” link to watch the concert.