Gabriel Fauré's Requiem is a composition that is known for its beauty and has been described as a lullaby. Southeast Missouri State University's Choir, Choral Union and orchestra will come together to perform this work as well as an original piece and other classical pieces.

The concert will open with the orchestra performing "Finlandia" by Jean Sibelius, followed by "Concerto No. 5 in A Minor" by Henri Vieuxtemps, which will feature 16-year-old violinist Amy Lidell. Lidell is a member of the Indiana University String Academy Virtuosi, which is a group of violinists between ages 11-18 who study an intense musical curriculum and tour the world performing. Lidell was also the winner of the Second Annual "Rising Star" Competition held at Southeast in February.

The University Choir and the Choral Union will join the orchestra to perform two more compositions. They will perform "Trust," composed by Southeast's director of Choral activities Dr. Peter Durow, and finish with Fauré's Requiem.

"It's a piece that I wrote almost 10 years ago, and it's never really been performed," Durow said. "I orchestrated it for the whole symphony to play, and so it's going to be a world premiere."

The performance will feature two vocal soloists, Southeast faculty members Timothy Schmidt and Lori Shaffer. It will be conducted by Dr. Sara Edgerton, artistic director of the Southeast Missouri Symphony Orchestra and Dr. Peter Durow, who will conduct the choirs.

The University Choir is made up of approximately 30 students who have been working on the music for the concert since they finished their own concert on March 29. The Choral Union is made up of about 60 community members and 20 students that receive college credit for being a member.

Sophomore vocal performance major Kaitlyn Robinson is a member of both choirs and said the requiem was a challenging piece that was simple enough for the University Choir to learn in a short amount of time, yet still challenging enough for the Choral Union to be excited by it.

"It's definitely been a little more challenging than some of the other requiems we've done. We tend to do requiem mass at the end of the year," Robinson said. "It has a lot of clashing notes and dissonance, which makes it more difficult."

Durow described the requiem as a lullaby requiem that is beautiful, gentle and lyrical. The Choral Union only performs once a semester, so Durow said that this is a great opportunity for students and community members to see a great choral orchestral work.

"They should come see this performance because it's beautiful music," Durow said. "They should come support the community members who made a big sacrifice. They're really dedicated."

Gabriel Fauré's Requiem will be performed at 7:30 p.m. May 1 at the Donald C. Bedell Performance Hall. Tickets cost $18 or $14 depending on the seat's location and can be purchased at the River Campus box office or online at rivercampusevents.com.