Each year, the beginning of fall at Benet brings many exciting events and activities. One of these annual events that is enjoyed by many Benet families is the fall choir concert. This concert was the first time the four ensembles performed together this year, which added on to the excitement for everyone involved. From soft ballads, to energetic liturgical work, to upbeat spirituals, this concert had something for everyone to enjoy.

The concert was opened by the freshman choir, for whom this concert was the first time they had ever performed together as a Benet ensemble. They opened with Sanctus, a song entirely from the Latin mass. Next, they sang In This Ancient House, a song in both Japanese and English, which added an interesting element to the concert. “My favorite song we did in choir was In This Ancient House,” says Kaitlin Cunningham (‘21). “I liked it because of its simplicity, but it was still very different from the other songs.” They closed with How Can I Keep From Singing, a popular Church hymn.

Next was the sophomore choir who also performed three songs. The first song, With a Voice of Singing, was upbeat and spoke of praising God. Next, Turtle Dove, was a ballad about two loved ones being pulled apart by war and was accompanied by sophomore Madeline Chang on the violin. “It was absolutely gorgeous and my favorite piece we did,” says Becky Vires (‘20). “The emotion of it and the simplicity yet power in its harmonies made it really cool to perform.” The sophomores closed their part of the program with Gloria Festiva, a upbeat song with a mix of both Latin and English lyrics.

The Madrigals performed next and sang five songs. They opened with Loctus Iste, a Latin mass song. Next was All Joy and Mirth, a Germanic song. The next song Now, Oh Now I Needs Must Part, was a song from the Renaissance, and portrays the sadness of leaving a loved one behind. All at Once Well Met is about someone who has just fallen in love, and it portrays the new, giddy feeling of love. The Madrigals closed with Earth Song, a beautiful piece with many layers of meaning behind it. “This was definitely my favorite song,” says Aavia Shetty (‘19). “I love how it has such a good message—even through the darkness, pain, and strife we’ll sing—and how its message is both applicable on a small, personal scale and a large, worldwide scale.”

The Concert Chorale, the choir with both juniors and seniors, closed the night off. They started with a girls’ piece, Ascribe to the Lord, and a boys’ piece, When the Earth Stands Still. Next was the longest piece of the night, Regina Coeli, composed by Mozart. This song was definitely the biggest undertaking of the choir this quarter and involved many complex harmonies and rhythms. The fourth song performed was Dirait-on, a ballad sung entirely in French about a rose and was accompanied by junior Catrina Egner on the harp. The concert closed with an energetic spiritual Unclouded Day and was the favorite piece of Morgan McAndrew (‘19). “The eight voice parts that the song broke into added so many layers to the piece and just made it sound incredible.”
This concert was definitely a success for all four choirs that performed, and everyone is surely looking forward to their next performance at the Christmas concert.