Broadway on the Palouse, a blast from the past — The Palouse Choral Society kicks off the season with ‘The Best of Rodgers and Hammerstein’

The Palouse Choral Society is bringing Broadway to northern Idaho with their first concert of the season.

The concert is based around the music of Rodgers and Hammerstein, the famous composers of the ’40s and ’50s who produced musicals such as “Oklahoma!” and “The Sound of Music.” The concert will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 21 in the University of Idaho Administration Auditorium, and at 4 p.m. Oct. 23 in Silverthorne Theatre at Lewis-Clark State College (LCSC).

“They (Rodgers and Hammerstein) were famous in their own right, but when they collaborated, they made these really amazing musicals,” said Janice O’Toole, executive director.

O’Toole said she thinks anyone who likes musicals should come to the concert. She said it will be fun, interesting and make the audience feel good.

Sarah Graham, the new director of the society, said the music is significant to her.

“I grew up with these musicals,” she said.

Graham said many members of the choir have personal stories around the music, including Gene Buchholz, who is singing a solo from “South Pacific” in which he performed as the character Emile 50 years ago.

“This has been a really good concert to kind of get to know people,” Graham said.

She said it is more relaxed than other upcoming concerts, giving the members more time to talk. This has been a positive experience, as the choir is still getting used to a new director with a new style, she said.

Graham took over the position this fall, when the previous director Michael Murphy left after seven years with the society. Graham said there have been challenges, but the choir members have been flexible and willing to work.

“It’s a new approach and new ideas,” O’Toole said.

Graham said she wants the performance to be as pleasing visually as it is aural. This means giving the choir freedom to move around and express how they feel about the music they sing, she said.

The songs will be categorized according to subject matter, Graham said. She said this included categories such as place, humor, inspiration and more. O’Toole said there will be a mix of songs performed by the full choir of around 75 people and the chamber choir of 25, as well as solos and duets.

There will also be a narrator at the performance — Professor Harold Crook from LCSC — which Graham said is appropriate to give the audience historical context.

“Not only do people get to hear the music, they get to hear a little tidbit about Rodgers and Hammerstein and about the musicals,” O’Toole said.

O’Toole said sometimes there are pre-concert lectures at their performances, but the narration makes this concert more interactive. Graham said she thinks it will make the music more accessible to audiences and make the performance more entertaining rather than primarily academic.

“If someone doesn’t think they’d normally like going to concerts, this would be a great one to try out,” she said.

Nina Rydalch can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @NinaRobin7

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