Watertown Musica Viva presents a richly textured program celebrating the secular choral works of Ralph Vaughan Williams, one of England’s most beloved composers. The concert features Three Elizabethan Partsongs, which blend Renaissance poetry with lush harmonies, and Five English Folk Songs, a vibrant set that captures the wit, sorrow, and storytelling of traditional melodies. Three Shakespeare Songs offer a haunting and lyrical tribute to the Bard, with texts drawn from The Tempest and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

The centerpiece of the program is Serenade to Music, Vaughan Williams’s radiant homage to the power of music itself, originally composed for sixteen solo voices and orchestra, here adapted for choir and piano. Together, these works trace a journey through English history, literature, and landscape—woven together by the unmistakable voice of Ralph Vaughan Williams.