Choral Parade From Hudson River to Rensselaer Campus Is a First

TROY, NY — A choral parade combining four university choirs,
accompaniment broadcast via WRPI, and a route leading from the
Hudson River to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute campus will be a
first-of-its-kind experience for Rensselaer and the city of Troy
next month. The “Troy Paradio” performance is the opening piece of
a larger concert presented as part of the PolyChoral Project on
April 6.

“Troy Paradio” will start at 6 p.m. in Riverfront Park and wind
through the streets of Troy to the Approach, the grand staircase
connecting the Institute with downtown Troy. After a brief pause,
the concert will continue inside the Curtis R. Priem Experimental
Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC) with Renaissance-era and
fresh-off-the-page contemporary vocal pieces, according to Michael
Century, professor of arts at Rensselaer.

“This concert mixes the unconventionality of Troy Paradio with
the glorious sound and architecture of the EMPAC Concert Hall.
There will be four choirs in four locations with pieces that go all
the way back to the 17th century and all the way forward to 2011,”
Century said. “It’s an immersive experience — with choral music
coming at you from all directions.”

Century said the project includes student choirs from
Rensselaer, the University at Albany, the College of Saint Rose,
and Russell Sage College.