Trinity’s annual Fall Choral Concert took place on Tuesday, Oct. 21. The concert featured all of the curricular choir ensembles: Trinity Choir, Chamber Singers and Voix d’Esprit. A variety of music was performed, including Renaissance pieces, spirituals and a 21st-century pop selection.
“Being in an educational setting, you want to expose your singers to a wide variety of music,” said Gary Seighman, director of choral activities. “Every song has its own vocal and artistic demands. I want to educate my students””and educate myself and the audiences””by presenting this variety.”
Members of the choral groups began preparing for the performance as soon as the 2014-15 school year began. The rehearsal process is extensive, with pieces in various languages and many that require narrowing in on specific sections for analysis.
“We’re not just singing the notes and performing it; there’s also a lot of heart and mind going into this preparation, and so I’m hoping that’s something we can convey to the audience while they perform it,” Seighman said.
The Symphony Orchestra Concert also recently took place on Thursday, Oct. 23. The ensemble is comprised of wind, brass, percussion and string players.
“What is interesting about this concert is that the instrumentation is varied throughout each piece. I play the flute in Ravel’s “˜Pavane pour une infante défunte,’ which is a lovely French piece,” said Lauren York, a senior.
This Sunday, Oct. 26, the Symphonic Wind Ensemble will perform a Halloween-themed concert.
“The last time I programmed Halloween music for a fall concert was 10 years ago, so I thought it was time to do this again,” said James Worman, conductor. “I am repeating three pieces from that show but adding five new or different works.”
Selections for performance will include “Dream of the Rarebit Fiend,” “Danse Macabre,” “Night Dances,” and “Ghost Train,” as well as several others.
“There are three or four or five things that are special about this concert,” Worman said. “We have a student conductor for one of the pieces. This is the equivalent of including undergraduate students in research projects in other fields””an opportunity usually reserved for grad students at most colleges.”
The event will also feature a screening of three silent movie vignettes before the concert at 2:30 p.m., a poetry recitation during intermission, and a spoken introduction by composer Michael Schelle for the performance of his piece, “Extraction on No. 9.”
“In addition to the very diligent and tireless efforts in rehearsal preparation the students have engaged in, I have also provided a fair bit of academic supplements to ensure that the students will perform with a thorough understanding of the music,” Worman said.
The concert will take place at 3 p.m. on Sunday in the Ruth Taylor Recital Hall.
