The details
General admission tickets for Saturday's 4 p.m. performance at St. Martin's Lutheran Church are available for $25, or $10 for the livestream.
Tickets for the 3 p.m. Sunday performance at Austin Central Library are free with promo code SWV.
Some context
Themed around issues surrounding immigration and what it means to be a refugee, the concert will feature works by Saunder Choi, Melissa Dunphy, Carlos Cordero, Joel Thompson and Mari Esabel Valverde, said Ryan Heller, Chorus Austin's artistic director and conductor.
The concert will also showcase the world premiere of Heller's latest work, "People Are Not Props."
"I was personally inspired to write a piece to share in this concert sequence, built on single words and lines of text that slowly repeat and unfold: 'People, people are, people are not, people are not props.'" Heller said. "As the middle lines repeat, new meanings are discovered, with the text becoming 'people are people,' and 'people are not people.' It is this juxtaposition, along with the transition from reflective to frenzied, that I sought to capture in the piece, and indeed, through the concert experience."
What else?
As a community-based nonprofit organization, Chorus Austin relies heavily on monetary donations to continue providing music throughout Austin and Central Texas, Heller said.
Those interested in donating can do so online. Options range from a one-time donation of $5 or more to joining the Sempre Society with a recurring donation.
Sempre Society members can receive a variety of perks, including free concert tickets, being invited to donor appreciation events and more.
Another way to support the choir is by purchasing advertisement spots in the programs, which can range from $250 to $1,000.
Notable quote
"Putting together this concert has been profound, sometimes difficult, and often very moving," Heller said. "[Through this concert], we aim to imagine a world without arbitrarily drawn lines, where people are not used as props. We will reflect on our shared humanity and the events that we all share as global citizens."
