The poem is the muse of the choral composer; excellent choral music exists as the composer’s musical reaction to a text already imbued by the poet with deep emotional meaning and artistic sensitivity. In this concert, the UMD Women’s Chorus and UMD Men’s Chorus explore settings of exquisite poetry by composers of the classical, Romantic and contemporary eras. Featuring music by Debussy, Whitacre, Halley, Elgar and others set to poetry of Tennyson, Verlaine, Austen and more.