Wellness Wednesday — Bel Canto choir to perform June 18

picture disc.Music as Medicine’s final concert for the 2008-2009 season will feature the Nebraska Choir Arts Society’s Bel Canto Choir.

The concert, sponsored by the College of Medicine, will be Thursday from noon to 1 p.m., in the Durham Outpatient Center.

Bel Canto (Italian for “beautiful singing”) is the most advanced ensemble within the Nebraska Children’s Chorus. Bel Canto is a tour choir and performs frequently with the Omaha Symphony Orchestra and comparable organizations.












Leading the choir



Dr. Sean Burton is the Bel Canto conductor. He also is the assistant professor of music and director of choral activities at Briar Cliff University in Sioux City, Iowa, conductor of the Nebraska Children’s Chorus Bel Canto, and music director/worship leader at Grace United Methodist Church in Sioux City.

John J. Bennett is the resident pianist for the Nebraska Children’s Chorus Bel Canto and Omaha Chamber Singers and serves on the music staff of both Omaha’s Central High School and Countryside Community Church.




Bel Canto has performed at numerous state, regional and national conferences of the American Choral Directors Association and toured throughout the United States as well as in the Baltic States, British Isles, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Japan, Russia and Mexico.

The ensemble’s annual repertoire includes approximately 40 memorized works in as many as eight languages. Bel Canto’s performances are regarded for their unique sonority and meticulous tuning, as well as distinctive literature and commitment to the composer’s intent.