Sno-King Community Chorale’s annual Musica da Coro concert at Lynnwood’s Trinity Lutheran Church on Saturday at 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. will feature fifteen chorale soloists in a version of the award-winning musical, “Les Misérables.” Tickets may be purchased by calling 425-673-1242 or via the Sno-King Chorale website. To find out more about the event, we recently checked in with conductor Frank De Miero.

My Edmonds News:  How did you come up with the “Les Miserables” theme?

F.D.: The Musica Da Coro concert features major choral/orchestral works…usually. The chorale has performed many of the most popular and exciting major choral works, like Haydn’s “Mass in Time Of War”, “Croatian Mass,” Vivaldi’s “Gloria,” Schubert ‘s “Mass in G,” Rutter’s “Requiem,” Rutter ‘s “Mass for the Children,” Puccini’s “Messa de Gloria,” Karl Jenkins’ “Armed Man,” Karl Jenkins’ “Gloria,” Brahms’ “Requiem,” Beethoven’s 9th Symphony-Choral Symphony. And now a concert version of “Les Miserables.” The reasons for choosing this particular work:  I love the fact it is really a form of opera. The music is emotional, expressive and although there is a theme throughout, the music has variety, humor and passion. I love featuring the many talented members of our Chorale. This work is a change from the full orchestral music we usually do to something a bit different.

My Edmonds News:  What are you looking forward to at the performance?

F.D.: First, I am looking forward to hearing the hearing the chorale perform this amazing music. This 110 voice chorale is so deep in talent. It is a joy to be able to feature so many individuals. This Chorale has the ability to sing with different tonal textures allowing for incredible expressive performing.

Secondly, it is always a treat performing here in our South County area. The audiences “get it!” We always feel we have some of the more artistically aware people come to our concerts. This inspires the chorale and me to do our very best at every performance.  And finally, I am expecting large audiences. This work is popular and it has been for many years. Now with the movie version in theaters there seems to be even more excitement around “Les Miserables.” Of course, we are not presenting a staged production. However, we will present the music in such a way as to enable us all to experience the incredible story through music.

My Edmonds News:  What should audiences know before attending?

F.D.: This is a great question. I greatly appreciate you posing it to me. Before I attend any concert, I try to study a bit about the composer, the story line of the production so I relate to the music in a personal manner. Going to an opera really requires this pre-preaparation and going to a production that has so much history as “Les Miserables” requires much the same.

“Les Miserables,” the musical, is based on a work by Victor Hugo, written in 1862 and is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century.  This may be a bit more than you want… but it is what we are using in our program. The story of “Les Misérables” starts in France, around 1815. On parole after nearly 20 years of hard labor, Jean Valjean finds that his past condemns him to be an outcast. Only the saintly Bishop Myriel treats him kindly and Valjean, embittered by years of hardship, repays him by stealing some silver. Valjean is caught and brought to the Bishop by police, but is astonished when Myriel lies to the police to save him. The Bishop then gives him two precious candlesticks and Valjean decides to start his life anew.

In Montreuil-Sur-Mer, northern France, around 1823: Having broken his parole and changed his name to Monsieur Madeleine, Valjean has risen to become a factory owner and town mayor. One of his workers, Fantine, has a secret illegitimate child. When the other workers discover this, they demand her dismissal. The foreman, whose advances she rejected, throws her out. Desperate for money to pay for medicines for her daughter, Fantine sells her locket, her hair, and becomes a whore. Thoroughly disgraced, she gets into a fight with a prospective customer and is about to be taken to prison by Javert when the mayor (Valjean) arrives and demands she be taken to a hospital instead. When the mayor rescues a man pinned down by a runaway cart, Inspector Javert is reminded of the abnormal strength of convict No. 24601, a parole-breaker whom he has been tracking for years – Valjean. But, Javert believes the infamous man has just been recaptured. Unable to see an innocent person go to prison in his place, Valjean confesses to the court that he is prisoner No. 24601. At the hospital Valjean promises the dying Fantine to find and look after her daughter Cosette. Inspector Javert  arrives to arrest him, but Valjean escapes.

In Montfermeil, on the outskirts of Paris, around 1823, Cosette has been lodged for five years with the Thénardiers who run an inn, horribly abusing the little girl as a domestic servant while indulging their own daughter, Eponine. Valjean finds Cosette fetching water in the dark. He pays the Thénardiers to let him take Cosette away to Paris. But Javert is on his trail.

In Paris, 1832, there is a great unrest in the city because of the impending demise of the popular leader General Lamarque – the only man left in the government who shows any feeling for the poor. Among the street gangs is one led by Thénardier and his wife, who set upon Jean Valjean and Cosette. They are rescued by Javert, who does not recognize Valjean until after he escapes once again. The Thénardiers’ daughter Eponine, who is secretly in love with the student Marius, reluctantly agrees to help him find Cosette, with whom he has fallen in love. At a political meeting in a small café, a group of idealistic students prepare for the revolution they are sure will erupt upon the death of General Lamarque. When news arrives of Lamarque’s death, the students, led by Enjolras, stream out into the streets to whip up popular support. However, Marius is distracted by the thoughts of the mysterious Cosette, who is consumed by her loving thoughts of Marius. Valjean realizes that his Cosette is maturing quickly but refuses to tell her anything of her past. In spite of her own feelings for Marius, Eponine sadly brings him to Cosette and then prevents an attempt by her father’s gang to rob Valjean’s house. Valjean tells Cosette they must prepare to flee the country. On the eve of the revolution the students and Javert see the situation from their different viewpoints – Cosette and Marius part in despair of ever meeting again, Eponine mourns the loss of Marius, and Valjean looks forward to the security of exile. The Thénardiers, meanwhile, dream of rich pickings from the chaos to come.

The students prepare to build the barricade. Marius, noticing that Eponine has joined the insurrection, sends her with a letter to Cosette, which is intercepted by Valjean. Eponine decides to rejoin Marius at the barricade. The barricade is built and the revolutionaries defy an army warning that they must give up or die. Javert is exposed as a police spy. In trying to return to the barricade Eponine is shot and killed. Valjean arrives at the barricades in search of Marius. He is given the chance to kill Javert, but instead lets him go.

The students settle down for a night on the barricade and, in the quiet of the night, Valjean prays to God to save Marius from the onslaught which is to come. The next day, with ammunition running low, the rebels are all killed, including their leader, Enjolras. Valjean escapes into the sewers with the unconscious Marius. After meeting Thénardier, who is robbing the corpses of the rebels, he emerges into the light only to meet Javert once more. Valjean pleads for time to deliver the young man to a hospital. Javert decides to let him go and, his unbending principles of justice having been shattered by Valjean’s own mercy, he kills himself by throwing himself into the swollen River Seine. Unaware of the identity of his rescuer, Marius recovers in Cosette’s care. Valjean confesses the truth of his past to Marius and insists that after the young couple are married, he must go away rather than taint the sanctity and safety of their union. At Marius and Cosette’s wedding the Thénardiers try to blackmail Marius. Thénardier says Cosette’s “father” is a murderer and, as proof, produces a ring which he stole from the corpse in the sewers the night the barricades fell. It is Marius’ own ring and he realizes it was Valjean who rescued him that night. He and Cosette go to Valjean, where Cosette learns for the first time of her own history before the old man dies, joining the spirits ofFantine, Eponine, and all those who died on the barricades!

My Edmonds News: Is there anything else you would like folks to know?

F.D.: The Chorale is so fortunate to have Debra DeMiero as our accompanist. She is an amazing musician. Debra supports each soloist and the chorale with extraordinary supportive piano accompaniment. Her musical sensitivity and styling is a major reason for the over-all sound that the Sno-King Community Chorale achieves. I can assure you, Debra will enhance the accompaniment parts to give stronger support to each of the soloists in “Les Mis.”

It is an honor for me to be able to conduct the Sno-King Community Chorale. These dedicated musicians make every Tuesday evening a special night of music. Our theme has always been to “sing with a smile on your face and love in your heart.” The Chorale exemplifies this motto.

For more information on the show, including the soloists, see here.