“Poetry into Song”Washington Master ChoraleMarch 5 at 5 p.m.National Presbyterian Church4101 Nebraska Ave., N.W.$40-60washingtonmasterchorale.org After 10 years as a singer and board member with Washington Master Chorale, Diane Kresh decided to end her tenure.
But before leaving, she wanted to express her gratitude by gifting the group with something truly beautiful. The result is composer David Conte’s “The Unknown Sea” a commissioned chorale piece based on the texts of famed American poet Elizabeth Bishop (1911-1979).
Originally the piece was slated to end the chorale’s 10th season in 2020, but because the pandemic had other plans, it’s now debuting as part of WMC’s “Poetry into Song” on March 5 at the National Presbyterian Church.
The idea, Kresh explains, was to create a legacy project, a gift to the chorale from her for many years of making music with a special group of people including WMC artistic director and dear friend Thomas Colohan.