Baker University and Johnson County choirs will join together to perform on BU’s campus Friday. The Masterworks Concert, which includes 150 performers, will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Rice Auditorium.

The choir is made up of Baker students, members from the university Community Choir, the Johnson County Chorus and community choir members affiliated with Johnson County Community College.

According to Cathy Crispino, interim director of choral activities, the main event is the Midwest premiere of Mark Hayes’ “Requiem.” The work is 35 minutes long and involves a choir, orchestra and a baritone soloist. The choir will perform four pieces.

“Very few of our current choir members have had the opportunity to sing a major work with orchestra. In creating this Masterworks Concert, we’re providing that experience, which is an exciting prospect,” Crispino said.

Hayes wrote a piece for Baker that premiered at the annual Vespers concert in 2012.

“My favorite piece being performed is Mark Hayes’s ‘Requiem,’” choir member Collin Studer said. “This is the most substantial piece we are performing, and it is certainly the piece which requires the most preparation.”

Studer said the opportunity to rehearse with the composer added to the enjoyment of preparing for this concert.

“The opportunity to perform with another choir is one that I relish. It gives the choir a chance to make music with a different group of people, and it is wonderful to see so many people coming together for a common musical purpose,” Studer said.

Choir member Laura Bynum is looking forward to the combination of choirs as well.

“Being part of a choir involves teamwork, and working with another choir is always a great opportunity for us to expand our ability to work together and create great music,” Bynum said.

Another piece being performed is Mozart’s “Ave Verum Corpus,” which Bynum is looking forward to in addition to “Requiem.”

“I think the chorus members will add a unique sound and energy to the group that will allow us to create a wonderful sound and deliver a very nice performance,” Bynum said.