The Oneida Area Civic Chorale will present “Homeland”, a multimedia patriotic montage by Randy Vader and Jay Rouse, on Sunday, May 22 at 4:00 PM at Oneida High School, 560 Seneca St., Oneida. The 100-member Chorale will be directed by Kimberly Nethaway of Rome, and the guest narrator for the program will be Dan Cummings, news co-anchor for Syracuse television station Newschannel 9 WSYR.“Homeland” is a 2010 work by composer and lyricist Randy Vader and composer and arranger Jay Rouse, both of whom have distinguished careers in the field of inspirational music. The 52-minute work features visual images and musical selections woven together by spoken narration to produce a reverent and uplifting tapestry of our nation’s history.
The Chorale will perform ten musical segments in the program. Six of the numbers are well-known patriotic and inspirational pieces, all arranged by Jay Rouse, and four are original compositions by Vader and Rouse. The program will begin with our national anthem, followed by the Woody Guthrie standard, “This Land is Your Land”, with solos by Don Drake of West Winfield and John Nethaway of Rome. Twyla Edwards of Ava will perform a solo in “Let Justice Roll On”, by Vader and Rouse, and Rob Wright of Oneida Castle will solo on “Lean on Me”, the Bill Withers classic. Other segments include “Salute to the Armed Forces”, “Livin’ in the Homeland”, a stirring Vader/Rouse piece, and “Battle Hymn of the Republic”.
As the Chorale sings and Cummings narrates, video and still images set to a professional soundtrack will enhance the words and music with shots of national landmarks, stunning scenery, clips of national events, and footage of American people. This patriotic montage will leave every performer and listener with an enhanced sense of pride in what it means to make one’s home in the United States of America.
Guest narrator Dan Cummings can be seen every day on Newchannel 9‘s The Morning News as co-anchor, and every week on Newsmakers with Dan Cummings, Newschannel 9’s weekly public affairs program. Dan was born and raised in southern Cayuga County. He holds a bachelor’s degree from SUNY Geneseo and a master’s degree from Cornell University. He was honored in 2013 with a regional Edward R. Murrow award for best news documentary for “Saints Among Us,” which told the stories of newly-canonized Saints Marianne Cope and Kateri Tekakwitha, women with deep roots in Central and Upstate New York. He has twice been honored with the Syracuse Press Club’s Professional Standards Award, along with numerous other awards during his 40 years in radio and television news around Central New York.
Tickets for “Homeland” are $10, available from Chorale members, at W.J. Hinman Jewelers, 115 Main Street, Oneida, and by calling 697-3377. Tickets should be purchased in advance. For more information, visit www.oneidachorale.com