Ithaca, NY--Before embarking on a weeklong concert tour of Ireland, the Ithaca College Women's Chorale, directed by Janet Galván, will give local music lovers a chance to hear the program. The free concert will take place on Tuesday, March 1, at 8:15 p.m. in Ford Hall in the James J. Whalen Center for Music.

Accompanied by faculty pianist Read Gainsford and faculty vocalists Deborah Montgomery-Cove and Patrice Pastore, the choir will spend the College's spring break in the Republic of Ireland, giving concerts in the cities of Cork, Limerick, and Dublin. The tour is a component of an exchange program between Ithaca College and the University of Limerick's Irish World Music Centre. The theme of this year's program is "Bridges," and the concert will feature music that embodies connections to the spirit, the past, and the world's many cultures. Included will be works by Hildegard von Bingen, Claude Debussy, and Felix Mendelssohn, as well as music from Japan, Brazil, and Africa.

Funded by an anonymous gift in 1999, the exchange program supports a series of performances and enables students from the music center and Ithaca College to study at the partner institution for various lengths of time.

Known throughout the United States for its innovative programming, the women's chorale performs a variety of repertoire that balances master composers from all musical periods, compositions of high quality from less celebrated composers, contemporary pieces that stretch the boundaries of choral sound, and works that embody the world's many musical heritages.

The Ithaca College School of Music offers some 300 free concerts each academic year. More information on these performances is available by calling (607) 274-3717 or visiting www.ithaca.edu/concerts.