The Galesburg Community Chorus, directed by Tim Pahel, will perform the Requiem by Giuseppe Verdi on Saturday, May 2 at 7:30 p.m. at Central Congregational Church in Galesburg. The Chorus will be joined by the Knox College Choir, Laura Lane, director, and the Monmouth College Chorale, Tim Pahel, director, as well as by four professional singers and an orchestra of 36 members.

Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, and are free for all students. They can be purchased at the door or in advance at Innkeeper's Coffee. The concert is sponsored by OSF St. Mary Medical Center, the Galesburg Community Foundation, the City of Galesburg, and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.

"The Verdi Requiem is absolutely one of the most exciting and powerful pieces of music ever composed," said Pahel, music director of the Galesburg Community Chorus. "It is incredibly dramatic, frightening, and heartbreakingly beautiful."

"We are delighted to perform this great music in combination with the two college choirs," said Mary Panther, co-president of the Chorus board of directors. "We love collaborating with other groups, and having 150 good singers come together to sing with a professional orchestra and soloists is really thrilling."

Every year the Chorus' spring concert is named the Charles J. and Mary Runyon Gibbs concert in honor of the Gibbs' years of dedication and service to the Galesburg Community Chorus.

The Galesburg Community Chorus is in its 70th season, making it the oldest community music organization in the Galesburg area. It was founded in 1945 at Knox College and the chorus retains its affiliation with the college, which provides rehearsal facilities.