Life > April 3, 2008

By Nicole Russo | Contributing writer

Those who could not make it to the Concert Choir’s performance on March 26 surely missed out on one of the best concerts on campus. The night was an uplifting and emotionally charged display of student talent and effort.

Opening with a gentle and melodious song entitled “I Have Had Singing,” Director of Choral Ensembles Brian Gorelick, the choir’s conductor, explained the piece’s touching significance.

“It originated from a northern English village and was sung by people who had very little in their lives. Music was something which helped them celebrate the beauties of life which they did have,” Gorelick said.

It seemed to embody the sensitivity of the night’s performance to how deeply song could bring joy into life.

The performance was divided into four sections.

The first two were the sacred and secular and the last two were different American musical genres. Overall, the final product was dynamic, beautifully sung and well-rehearsed.

Covering various styles and artists of the 20th century, the choir showed its breadth by singing everything from moving spirituals to complicated French folk songs to sacred Latin psalms.

The performance vehemently exemplified the great talents and energies of all of its performers.

Certain pieces stood out from others such as Morten Lauridsen’s “Sure on This Shining Night,” which was part of the secular themed portion of the concert.

The song, as Gorelick explained, was part of the “Seven Nocturnes” poems, which tell stories about the night.

In this particular piece, a major line from the poem is sung in the song: “all is healed/all is health.”

Full of such rich and tender harmonies, the song reverberated with romantic and touching tones, and one almost felt as if all was, in fact, healed. Gorelick explained that the choir would be adding “new colors, singing more unusual chords and adding richer harmonies” to otherwise well-known songs. They did just that with new and dynamic versions of songs like “We Gather Together” and certain selected Shaker songs.

The choir also highlighted some extremely talented soloist singers. Sopranos sophomore Kate Miners, freshman Suzannne Spicer, sophomore Delia Hinman, tenor junior Alex Blake and baritone senior Roman Irvin struck chords and melodies which shook the auditorium and sent chills throughout the audience.

With stunning, clear voices, it was obvious these students possessed incredible talent and skill.

Another highlighted member was senior choir singer Ernest Lewis.

After taking over as conductor during the second half of the performance, Lewis led the choir with an energy and excitement which proved to be contagious.

“It’s just such an honor to be up here,” Lewis said.

He added excitement to the performance by incorporating the participation of the audience.

“This first song is a battle between the men and the women,” he said.

“I’ll let you decide who wins.”

The choir also did a piece in memory of Coach Skip Prosser. The piece, entitled “Balm in Gilead” as Lewis explained, refers to Jeremiah mourning the fate of Israel.

Lewis explained that the song’s question “Is there not a physician?” related to many who asked the same question upon the passing of Skip Prosser.

“This song is dedicated to a lost icon, one who will never be forgotten in the hearts of those who knew him,” Lewis said.

The piece had a soft and somber quality that was unmatched by any of the other pieces throughout the night.

Soloist Spicer sang out with an angelic and gentle vibrato visibly plucking at the heartstrings of many audience members. The choir finished with the song “Ride on King Jesus,” which included conquering, upbeat composition filled with lively soloists and powerful harmonies.

Within the first moment of silence the audience exploded with powerful applause.

The performance of the Concert Choir was an undeniable success.