“HELP! Music for Troubled Times” is the theme of two Brattleboro Concert Choir concerts, scheduled for Saturday, January 21, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, January 22, at 4 p.m. at the Latchis Theatre, Main Street, Brattleboro.

According to Jonathan Harvey, BCC Director, “Our program is focused on the idea of asking for, and receiving, aid. In this turbulent age, seeking help is an act both of necessity and of bravery, and the pieces on the program all touch on this idea from different perspectives. In the music of two 20th century musicians — Black Canadian-American composer and conductor Nathaniel Dett, and British composer and organist Herbert Howells — we find cries for help that are in turns quiet, insistent, humble, violent, polite, grandiose, sacred, and secular.”

Harvey explains that Dett and Howells both wrote in styles that have clear stylistic roots, but are profoundly individualized and idiosyncratic.

“For a listener, this means you will hear music that is somewhat familiar on its face, but just beneath the surface is filled with surprises and twists,” he says. “Quite often, these surprises are all about strengthening the emotional impact of a musical moment — this is very deeply felt music.”