The American River College Concert Choir will be giving one last performance to close off this year fully immersed in the vibrant music of Ireland on May 13.

Choir director Robert Halvorson is directing the second performance of the spring semester, focusing on music from Irish composers.

“It was sort of random, but I knew our first concert would be near St. Patrick’s Day and I thought it might be nice to celebrate spring with the music of this country,” Halvorson said in an email.

The genre of Irish music to be performed ranges from folk, to classical and even pop.

The choir will feature a special performance of a piece by Charles Villiers-Stanford, ‘The Blue Bird,’ a favorite of Halvorson’s.

“The piece is deceivingly difficult,” Halvorson said. “The whole thing is meant to be performed very quietly with long sustains, which is very difficult to achieve, but is really effective.”

Vocal music major and soprano Carrissa Stevens is excited and connected to the Irish theme of the performance.

“I’m also very connected or close with Irish culture. Choctaw, my tribe and the Irish are really tight,” Stevens said.

Stevens’ tribe and the Irish have a connection that dates back to the 1800s. During the potato famine in Ireland in the 1800s, the Choctaw tribe donated to the Irish in 1847. Since then, the two groups have been closely connected.

Shule Aroon, one of Stevens’ favorites, is sung in the Gaelic language. 

Along with more traditional pieces, the genre of pop is sprinkled in as well.

“There’s just a lot of variety this semester compared to last semester,” Stevens said.

The performance will also feature choral renditions of pop songs like “That You Are” by Hozier and “Dreams” by The Cranberries.

The choir will perform 14 pieces in total on May 13 in the ARC theater auditorium at 7 p.m.

To purchase tickets for the performance visit TicketLeap.