“Father, don’t be so severe! If I can’t drink my bowl of coffee three times daily, then in my torment I will shrivel up like a piece of roast goat.”

No, this is not a plea from a sleepy northwest coffee drinker It is a line in the J.S. Bach “Coffee Cantata” (Cantata 211 BWV) from which the Orcas Choral Society will sing highlights during the 2008 spring concerts taking place at Orcas Center on Friday, May 9 and Saturday, May 10 at 7:30 p.m. both nights.

Bach wrote the music for this work and Christian Friedrich Henrici wrote the libretto between 1732 and 1734 as a satirical commentary on the coffee craze that was sweeping Leipzig, Germany in the eighteenth century. Singing in German, Sharon Abreu, soprano and Eric Gourley, bass will perform the solos between a father and daughter as they musically debate the merits and downfalls of coffee. Jim Shaffer-Bauck is the narrator. Instrumentalists Linda Slone, flute; Scott Heisinger, violin; Dale Heisinger, cello and Marianne Lewis, harpsichord will join the Choral Society in the performance of this work.

The Orcas Choral Society, under the direction of Catherine Pederson with pianist Patty Johnson, has long been committed to singing songs from many cultures and many perspectives.

A variety of musical styles and themes round out the other songs on the program. The concerts are presented in partnership with the Orcas Center. Tickets for the concerts can be bought from the Orcas Center box office during regular box office hours or online at www.orcascenter.org. Adults are $10, students and children $3. Ticket information can be found at 376-2281.