University Chorus and Concert Choir had their semi-annual joint concert at First Thursday on Main. The historic Methodist Church on Main Street was filled to the back row Oct. 4 for the program.
Levi Walker, a fourth-year music education major, has been a member of the Concert Choir since his first year of college. Walker’s goal for the first concert of the semester was for the audience to think about the significance of the words along with the way they’re expressed.
“What separates us from other ensembles is that we have words that go with our music and it’s super intentional,” Walker said. “I want people to be able to listen and feel what we’re feeling as we sing.”
The audience of family and friends continuously applauded as each member of the University Chorus entered the risers to begin the first portion of the evening. Alicia Walker, director of the University Chorus, said jokingly that she wanted to dedicate the concert to Hurricane Florence since it took away a week of rehearsal for her chorus.
Among the chorus’ diverse program was the song “Flanders Fields” to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day and the familiar “Pure Imagination” from "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory."
The University Chorus closed their program by singing a traditional South African song titled “Yale ha khal’ingane”. Along with singing the upbeat melody, the chorus members carried the beat by stomping their feet.
The Concert Choir sang the second half of the evening under the conduction of Larry Wyatt. The program consisted of songs from the early Renaissance to modern 21st century music and included lyrics in Latin, German, French and English. This upcoming January, the Concert Choir has the opportunity to perform in multiple cities in Europe and some of the songs from this program are in the languages of those countries.
The Concert Choir closed out the evening with "Hallelujah!" by Rosephanye Powell. Third-year music education major Alex Thompson said she enjoys all of their repertoire so far, but "Hallelujah!" is her favorite.
“It’s a gospel song so it’s just really cool just like melding all of that together and just being able to be expressive but also you know just using good technique,” Thompson said.
Both choirs have heavy performance schedules this year, including their local shows. As they continue to perform, Walker and Thompson look to build the groups' sound and unique bond.
“Something that’s really special and that you don’t really find in a lot of other majors is that love and that dedication for what you do,” Thompson said. “So, it’s just really great to be around very passionate people and who are also talented.”