Kirkland Choral Society brings its 2015–2016 season to a conclusion with a program of music by the talented composer, Ola Gjeilo, featuring the world premiere of his new composition, “Glory”, commissioned by KCS for this concert. This concert takes place at 7:30 p.m. on May 21 at at the Bastyr University Chapel.

Gjeilo was born in Norway, educated at Juilliard and currently resides in New York City. His recent album, “Ola Gjeilo: Voices, Piano, Strings,” is topping Classical Music charts and is described by reviewers as “radiant, ethereal choral music with transcendental instrumental additions” and “eternal new choral music for our time.”

“Glory,” set to a text by frequent Gjeilo collaborator Charles Anthony Silvestri, is a new 10-minute work for chorus, piano and strings. The first violinist is featured in a Bach Partita-like opening incantation, which also returns at the end. “The connection to Bach is significant,” says KCS artistic director Dr. Glenn Gregg.

“Each verse of Silvestri’s text ends with the words ‘Soli Deo Gloria,’ which Bach habitually used as a signature phrase at the end of his manuscripts. The solo violin, in this case, serves as both an homage to Bach, and as a representation of ‘the individual,’ who functions as a part of creation, and as part of the global community.”

In addition to “Glory,” the Luminous program features eight of Gjeilo’s most beloved choral works. The concert begins with “Prelude,” a joyful, celebratory piece influenced by Gregorian chant and conceived by Gjeilo as introductory or entrance music. It welcomes the audience and beckons them to enjoy what lies ahead.

The mood changes significantly in “The Spheres,” from Gjeilo’s Sunrise Mass, which gives the audience and performers a sense of floating in space surrounded by stars and planets. “The choir is divided into as many as sixteen vocal parts in places,” Gregg said, “with voices overlapping in dissonance before resolving into new chords.”

Next comes “The Ground,” the melodious, and inspiring culmination to Sunrise Mass.

The first part of the program concludes with “Dark Night of the Soul” and its sequel, “Luminous Night of the Soul.” Although often performed as separate pieces, they were conceived by Gjeilo to be two movements of the same work and will be performed as such by KCS. In commenting about them, Gjeilo says that he wanted to make the choir and piano equal “as if in a dialogue.”

“In addition, the choir voices are often doubled by the strings to achieve an intensely rich and warm sound,” Gregg said.

The second half of the program introduces two of Gjeilo’s favorite instruments not often found in choral accompaniments, acoustic guitar and tenor saxophone.

The guitar joins choir, string quartet, and piano for “The Lake Isle,” a gentle, melodic song based on a poem by William Butler Yeats. Next is “Across the Vast Eternal Sky,” another lovely Gjeilo-Silvestri collaboration.

Following the “Glory” premier, tenor sax joins with piano and choir for the song, “Evening Prayer,” a beautiful closing benediction to an evening of wonderful music.

KCS is delighted to be joined by the acclaimed Skyros Quartet, guitarist Peter Caruso, saxophonist Evan Smith, and pianist Cori Belle for this performance.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.kirklandchoralsociety.org.

The Bastyr University Chapel is located at 14500 Juanita Drive in Kenmore.