The Rochester Community Chorus will present John Rutter’s Magnificat, and Adolphus Hailstork’s I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes, a cantata in three sections, with 20-piece orchestra on Sunday, January 25, 2026, at 4:00 p.m., at St. Mary of the Hills Catholic Church, 2675 John R, Rochester Hills.

The Chorus will be joined by the Adult Choir of St. Mary of the Hills Catholic Church and the Choral Union of Rochester Christian University, under the direction of Dr. Joe Bentley. Approximately 100 singers will perform the two works. Tickets are $20 cash at the door. 

Written in 1990, Rutter’s stunningly beautiful Magnificat is based on the biblical Magnificat canticle and includes both Latin and English text. Woven through the glorious piece are themes about Mary, a prayer and a Sanctus setting. John Rutter wrote “…Magnificat – a poetic outpouring of praise, joy and trust in God, ascribed by Luke to the Virgin Mary on learning that she was to give birth to Christ – has always been one of the most familiar and well-loved of scriptural texts…”

Continuing an annual tradition, the Chorus will also present two musical compositions at the Rochester Community Christmas concert held at St. Andrew’s Catholic Church, Rochester, on December 7, 2025.

Daniel Greig is the Director of the Rochester Community Chorus, a post he has held since 2012. He has exposed the Chorus to many different genres of music including standard classical choral repertoire, folk music, show tunes, popular music, multicultural music, and much more. The Chorus has grown under Dan’s leadership and continues to be a welcoming and talented group of singers who have a zest for singing and growing as musicians. In addition to directing the Rochester Community Chorus, Daniel serves as Director of Music Ministry at St. Mary of the Hills Catholic Community, a post he has held since 2005.

Daniel holds a Bachelor of Music in Education and a Master of Music in Conducting from Wayne State University and is also an adjunct faculty member at University of Detroit Mercy, where he conducts the Detroit Mercy Chorus.

Dr. Joe Bentley is a retired professor of music from Rochester Christian University, where he conducted the A Cappella Chorus for 34 years. He continues to direct The Choral Union of RCU and is active as conductor of the EMA Singers of

Expressions Music Academy, the Birmingham Musicale Choral Ensemble, and music director at the Congregational Church of Birmingham. He holds degrees from Harding University, the University of Louisiana at Monroe, and Michigan State University.

About The Rochester Community Chorus

The Rochester Community Chorus welcomes new singers from Rochester and surrounding communities to join the fun. The chorus has performed a wide variety of literature including sacred and secular large-scale works such as Carmina Burana, various Requiems, masses, pops concerts, show tunes, and multicultural music. The chorus is open to all who enjoy singing at any skill level.

The Chorus seeks to enrich the cultural life of the community by providing its singers with opportunities to perform high quality choral music, under professional direction and by enhancing the lives of all through the resonant power of harmony and word. Approximately 40 singers currently make up the Chorus.

For more information, visit rochestercommunitychorus.org/ and https://www.facebook.com/friendsofrochestercommunitychorus.

About The Choral Union of Rochester Christian University

The Choral Union of Rochester Christian University was founded by Dr. Joe Bentley, in the fall of 2016 as the Rochester College Alumni Chorus. The group is made up of alumni, faculty, staff, students, and interested community friends. Anyone with collegiate choral experience is welcome to join via audition. Since its inception, the group has sung on campus, in various churches in the metro Detroit area and Flint, the annual Rochester Community Christmas Concert, for the National Day of Prayer at the annual Rochester Prayer Breakfast, with the Metropolitan Detroit Youth Chorus, with the St. Paul’s United Methodist Church (Rochester) choirs, and with the Rochester Symphony Orchestra for their annual Christmas concert. For more information about the group, see www.choralunionru.org.