Brattleboro– On Saturday, October 17, at 7:30 pm, and Sunday, October 18, at 3 pm, at Persons Auditorium in Marlboro, Susan Dedell leads the Brattleboro Concert Choir and Festival Orchestra in a gala concert celebrating the 100th birthday of chorus founder Blanche Moyse. The concert includes two composers beloved by Moyse and a new work commissioned in her honor: Mozart’s “Vesperae Solennes de Confessore,” selections from Handel’s “Solomon,” and the world premier of Nico Muhly’s “Jubilate.”

The program begins with selections from Handel’s theatrical oratorio “Solomon.” From the first notes of the grandly dramatic overture, Handel’s supreme mastery of the musical evocation of emotion is evident. As unsurpassable creator of melody, Handel’s arias for the Queen of Sheba and Solomon, as sung by soprano Junko Watanabe and Mary Westbrook- Geha, are sublime musical treasures.

The concert’s next composer, Muhly, just may be the most talked about young composer on the planet right now. Muhly was commissioned by artistic director Dedell to write a piece in honor of Moyse, dedicated to her lasting legacy and importance.

Muhly draws inspiration from 16th- and 17th-century English music as well as from the spare repetitions of Philip Glass and Steve Reich. Muhly’s “Jubilate” pulses with oscillating energy that evokes the simultaneous contracting and expanding universe. “The piece creates both a sense of limitless and timeless space and an urgent immediacy. Nico’s vision is singular, remarkable -- both emotionally moving and intellectually stimulating. I adore this piece!” says Dedell.

The 100th Birthda Gala program concludes with the glorious Mozart “Vespers, K. 339,” a choral work that is rightly one of the most beloved compositions of all time. “Every rehearsal of this piece has made me giddy with happiness,” says Dedell. “It’s completely amazing how much spontaneous joy and love flow through Mozart.”

Soloists for “Vespers” are Watanabe, soprano, Westbrook-Geha, mezzo- soprano, William Hite, tenor and David Ripley, bass. Watanabe was praised by The Boston Globe for her “ravishing soprano line,” has appeared as a soloist with Chorus proMusica, Melrose Symphony Orchestra, and Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra, and has been a Marlboro Music festival participant for several years.

Westbrook-Geha was one of Moyse’s favorite soloists, appearing over several seasons in the New England Bach Festival. She has appeared with the Dresden Staatskapelle, Boston Symphony, Handel & Haydn Society, and summer festivals at Tanglewood, Caramoor, and Marlboro.

Hite, described by The Boston Globe as “a breathtaking communicator,” has appeared with such groups as the American Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Symphony, the Handel and Haydn Society, Boston Baroque, and in repertoire from the baroque to contemporary music.

Ripley was also a frequent soloist with the New England Bach Festival, and has been a soloist with the Boston Camerata, Cantata singers, and the Waverly Consort. In addition to his performing activities, he is professor of music at the University of New Hampshire, where he teaches voice and directs the opera workshop.

Tickets are $20 and $12 for students 18 and under. The Brattleboro Concert Choir is a program of the Brattleboro Music Center. For tickets and additional information call the BMC at (802) 257-4523 or visit bmcvt.org.