UCA Concert Choir and Chamber Singers presented the Early Spring Concert on Monday, March 17, in the Snow Fine Arts Recital Hall.
Concert Choir Director John Erwin said the choir started planning the event in the summer, but began working on the music during the spring semester.
“I had to pick music that would blend in with some of the music that we were doing in Verdi requiem because we did learn that entire piece to perform at the beginning of March,” he said. [The Messa da Requiem is a musical piece by Giuseppe Verdi, a 19th-Century Italian composer of the 19 century.]
Erwin said he was satisfied with the concert and everything went smoothly.
The program consisted of two parts: musical pieces presented by the Chamber Choir in the first part and musical pieces presented by the Concert Choir in the second part.
The first part included “Christus fastus est” by Felice Anerio, which is a set of cathedral songs; “In paradisum,” which represents Renaissance style written by contemporary composer Edwin Fissinger; “The Lamb” by John Tavener, also written by Fissinger and structured around melodic lines and one voice; “Welsh Lullaby” by K.Lee Scott; and “Arma Lucis” by Jackson Berkey, which blends religious and contemporary music.
The second part included “Ave Maria” by Anton Bruckner, one of the more famous versions of the song; “Crucifixus” by Antonio Lotti, a Baroque piece; From Requiem by Guiseppe Verdi, which featured two UCA voice teachers and a piano professor, “I Am the Still Rain Falling” by Matthew Emery”; “I Dreamed of Rain by Larry Nickel”; and “Who Built the Ark” by Moses Hogan.
Graduate student Nick Farr said his favorite piece was “Who Built the Ark.”
“I thought it was amazing, good choice of the songs and the choir did a really good job.”
Concert choir member and sophomore Daniel Curry has been in choir since high school, but said previous experience doesn’t begin to compare to collegiate level choir.
“It’s often difficult to describe what it’s like to truly make music, but I can tell you that it’s a feeling that will never get old for me,” he said. “Being in choir here at UCA is great simply because of the people that are a part of it as well. From music education and vocal performance majors, all the way to communication and biology, we come together from all walks of life to be one voice.”
Curry said Erwin is passionate about what he does.
“[Erwin] helps us create seamless performances all while having fun along the way,” he said. “I hope to be a part of the UCA concert choir for as long as I can, just because of the joy that it brings to my time here, let alone maintain the relationships that have been built thanks to our common love for music.”
