HWS News
28 October 2026 HWS Chorale to Present Fall Concert, “Love, Abide with Me”
Free public performance on Nov. 21 explores the many expressions of love through choral music spanning more than four centuries.
The Hobart and William Smith Chorale, under the direction of Liyao Yu, will present its fall concert, "Love, Abide with Me," on Saturday, Nov. 21, at 7:30 p.m. in St. John’s Chapel on the HWS campus. Admission is free and open to the public.
Drawing on sacred and secular works spanning more than four centuries, the program explores love as an expression of faith, a source of human connection and a wellspring of comfort, longing and hope.
The concert features three works by American composer Amy Beach: Nunc Dimittis, With Prayer and Supplication and Peace I Leave with You. Her expressive writing offers moments of reflection, prayer and consolation. Thomas Tallis’ Renaissance motet If Ye Love Me presents love through faith and devotion, while Carl Czerny’s De Profundis gives voice to a deeply personal plea for spiritual comfort.
The program’s second half turns to more intimate expressions of human connection. Elaine Hagenberg’s O Love explores love’s enduring presence amid uncertainty and sorrow, while Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Love Is a Sickness offers a contrasting perspective on romantic love. Paul Smith’s Stay with Me invites listeners into a moment of closeness and vulnerability.
The concert concludes with Stephen Paulus’ The Road Home, a reflection on the search for belonging, peace and the enduring love that guides us home.
Together, these works invite audiences to consider love not simply as an emotion, but as a force that connects people across time, experience and belief.
Yu is a conductor and soprano who is pursuing her Doctor of Musical Arts in choral conducting at the Eastman School of Music.
The HWS Chorale is a student vocal ensemble dedicated to exploring a diverse range of choral music from different historical periods and musical traditions. Through performances on campus and in the surrounding community, the ensemble creates meaningful musical experiences for audiences.
