A total of 115 Goshen students will join together to sing this Saturday evening in the second choir concert of the year.
The theme of the concert is love and glory. The various choirs will perform a Swedish love song, a Brazilian lullaby, a German song about friendship, and songs about God’s love. The theme of glory reveals itself through the intensity of several of the pieces.The chamber choir will perform a passionate Greek piece, and the women’s choir will sing strong Bulgarian and Czech pieces. The men’s chorus will sing “Dulce et Decorum,” a work written by Mennonite composer Larry Nickel about the false glory of war, and the chorale will sing a jubilant Mozart piece as well as a powerful Brahms work.
Different performance techniques will also be used. One of the pieces that the chamber choir sings will be performed in the technical gallery, which is the highest standing point in Sauder Concert Hall. Deb Brubaker, the group’s conductor, stated that, “We’ll be hidden from the audience and will have to use flashlights and headlamps to see our music. But the acoustics of the hall will carry the music and make it quite ethereal.”
The choral program has about 20 percent more members than last year.
“We’re thrilled with the amount of students, their obvious talent for singing and their enthusiasm for the choral art and the community that’s achieved by singing together. Choral music is such a strong medium for sending messages of inclusiveness, empowerment, and beauty to others. I’m really pleased that this type of energy is happening here at Goshen,” Brubaker said.
The concert is this Saturday, October 29, at 7:30 p.m. in the Sauder Concert Hall in the Music Center. Free tickets are available for students and staff at the door.
