The Orcas Choral Society, under the direction of Roger Sherman, will present their spring program on Saturday, May 12 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, May 13 at 2 p.m.

Both concerts will be performed on the main stage of Orcas Center. This spring’s wide-ranging program consists entirely of pieces that have something to do with water. Some of the best-known works are about rivers: “Shenandoah,” “Deep River,” “Shall We Gather at the River,” and others.

Other pieces are about spring and rain, and of course, love. One group of pieces is about tears, including the famous “Lacrimosa” from Mozart’s Requiem.

The program concludes with the rollicking sea chantey, “What do you do with a drunken sailor?” A wide variety of composers and countries are also represented such as Canadian composers Larry Nickel and Healey Willan, Ralph Vaughan Williams (Great Britain), Aaron Copland and Norman Luboff (USA), G. P. Palestrina (Italy), and Hildor Lundvik (Sweden). Pianist Patty Johnson joins the 50-voice choir for this concert.

The audience will also get a chance to sing along. Tickets are available from Orcas Center at 376-2281 or the Orcas Center website: www.orcascenter.org.