Pioneer Valley Cappella
Choral Concert: “Love Is Here to Stay”
Friday November 21, 7:30 pm, All Saints Church, 7 Woodbridge Street, South Hadley MA
Saturday, November 22, 7:30 pm, Edwards Church, 297 Main Street, Northampton MA
Free will donation at the door

Pioneer Valley Cappella, led by music director Geoffrey Hudson, performs its fall 2025 concerts on November 21st and 22nd. “Love Is Here to Stay” presents a blend of rare and well known musical gems.

The central work on the program is Emanuel Astorga’s Stabat mater. Born into a Sicilian noble family in 1680, Astorga led a peripatetic life with stops in Barcelona, Parma, Lisbon, London, and Vienna. His exquisitely beautiful Stabat mater for chorus and strings was premiered in London in 1713. The music is lyrical and moving, a neglected masterpiece of the bel canto tradition.

Astorga’s forgotten gem is paired with “Muusika”, a short work by the contemporary Estonian composer Pärt Uusberg. The harmonies are radiant and beguiling.

The concert concludes with three beloved songs by George and Ira Gershwin, in new choral arrangements by Geoffrey Hudson. “They Can’t Take That Away From Me” and “They All Laughed” have been audience favorites since they were introduced in the 1937 film Shall We Dance, starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. “Love Is Here to Stay” was composed the same year and is believed to be the last song George Gershwin composed before his death. His brother, Ira, wrote the lyrics after the composer’s death.

Pioneer Valley Cappella, an auditioned chamber chorus based in Northampton, has been performing locally for more than 40 years. Music Director Geoffrey Hudson leads the ensemble, who are joined for this concert by instrumentalists Sarah Briggs, Charlotte Malin Collins, Colleen Jennings, and Karl Knapp.