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Fortune, love, springtime: Kimberly Dunn Adams on Carmina Burana

Kalamazoo Symphony

Last September Dr. Kimberly Dunn Adams, director of choral activities at Western Michigan University, began, step by step, to lead a chorus of over 100 singers through the intricacies of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana. A mid-20th century classic, it's a setting of of Latin and medieval German poetry on life, fate, food, and love with an unforgettable opening, 'O Fortuna,' adopted by movies and television soundtracks to evoke awe and power. 

Dr. Adams says her choral preparation included auditioning each singer, researching pronunciations, and deconstructing complicated rhythms. She was in close consultation with Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra music director Raymond Harvey during the process. Now that she's passed the burden of responsibility to the maestro, she plans to celebrate by singing in the the chorus at the performance Friday night in Miller Auditorium.

Cara Lieurance is the local host of NPR's All Things Considered on 1021 WMUK and covers local arts & culture on Let's Hear It on 89.9 Classical WMUK weekday mornings at 10 - 11 am.
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