BOZEMAN — For members of Opera Montana’s Veterans Chorus, music provides another way to come together through a shared connection to military service.
The chorus will take the stage this week for O Man, Greatly Beloved, a free community concert celebrating 250 years of service. The performance is set for Thursday, Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. at Hope Lutheran Church in Bozeman.
KBZK/KXLF’s Matt Elwell recently sat down with Veterans Chorus Director Logan Henke ahead of the performance. The Veterans Chorus traces its roots to 2022, when Opera Montana, then known as Intermountain Opera Bozeman, brought together active-duty and retired members of the U.S. military to participate in The Falling and the Rising, an American opera built around interviews with wounded veterans.
That gathering grew into an ongoing program. Today, the Veterans Chorus meets twice a month and performs for occasions including Veterans Day, Memorial Day and Independence Day. Opera Montana describes the program as a way for veterans to connect and share their stories through music.
This week’s concert expands beyond the Veterans Chorus. “O Man, Greatly Beloved” will also feature a community chorus and Belgrade’s Second String Orchestra, with Henke and Matt Makeever conducting.
The program includes music by Ralph Vaughan Williams, Aaron Copland, Stephen Paulus, Gwyneth Walker and Max Richter, along with arrangements of “Shenandoah” and “Bright Morning Stars.”
Performance details
What: O Man, Greatly Beloved
When: Thursday, Nov. 5, 7 p.m.
Pre-concert talk: 6:15 p.m. with Veterans Chorus Director Henke
Where: Hope Lutheran Church, 2152 Graf St., Bozeman
Admission: Free
Suggested donation: $20 per person, benefiting American Legion Gallatin Post 14
Also: A free reception is scheduled following the performance.
The concert is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts
