CARBONDALE, Ill. — Approximately 130 high school choral students from across Southern Illinois will join the Southern Illinois University Concert Choir Oct. 8 for the world premiere of a new work by Grammy-nominated pianist and producer Keith Javors.
Emerson Eads, SIU School of Music director of choral studies, rehearses with SIU Concert Choir members and Grammy-nominated pianist and producer Keith Javors ahead of Oct. 8 performances. (Photos by Russell Bailey)
The day includes two free concerts. First, the high school singers perform at 4 p.m. in Shryock Auditorium as part of the SIU High School Choral Festival. Then, at 7 p.m., the SIU Concert Choir presents its fall concert, “A Promised Land,” at Exodus Church, 700 S. Oakland Ave., Carbondale. The high school singers join the choir to close the evening with the premiere of Javors’ “It Takes a Village.”
Javors wrote the piece specifically to bring together the SIU Concert Choir and high school singers from throughout the region. The work was inspired by the outpouring of support and encouragement from his hometown and community after his niece was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer.
For Javors, “It Takes a Village” is a homage not only to the SIU and Southern Illinois communities but also to the idea that people are better together. “It’s really a piece about inclusion, about unity, about a coming together of souls and spirits,” he said.