On Tuesday, October 23, and Wednesday, October 24, the four Benet choirs finally put their last two months of effort to the test as the Fall Choir Concert kicked off the new school year. The freshmen took the stage first and performed three songs, all of which were given with the goal of introducing the new choir members to the Benet system. Mr. Wand places a lot of emphasis on learning solfege and blending different voice parts. The freshman choir, having only four boys, was forced to quickly learn how to balance themselves so that all their voices were heard. This was seen in “Little David, Sing Hallelu,” a typical spiritual that allowed all types of voices to shine.
From there, the sophomores came on stage. The Sophomore Choir is significantly more balanced, with the sopranos, altos, and baritones having almost the same amount of singers each. This allowed them to experiment a lot more in their first concert, which was showcased when senior Kaitlyn Skopek joined them on stage to add a flute to the song “The Turtle Dove,” an English folk song.
The Madrigals came next, in sextets instead of the typical quartets. Rather than singing in English or Latin, the Madrigals sang in Estonian, which appeared in the high-energy, yet lullaby-esque and calming folk song, Illus Hääl. Since none of the Madrigals speak Estonian natively, junior Ingrid Dombrowski assisted in the pronunciation of the unfamiliar words. Mr. Wand has acknowledged that this year will be a turning point for the Madrigals, as participation has been dwindling for a few years. Nonetheless, the Madrigals themselves are nothing but excited and well-prepared for what’s to come. Junior Sylvia Haldorson, a newcomer to Madrigals, echoed this sentiment, saying, “I was super excited for my first concert as a madrigal and it was just as amazing as I had hoped. It was so fun to finally perform the exciting and intricate songs we had been working on for the past few weeks. I can’t wait for what is to come this Madrigal Christmas season!”
To end the night, the Concert Chorale filled the risers and sang four wildly different songs. One of those songs, “Come Ye Sinners Poor & Needy,” featured a chamber orchestra in addition to the piano, which was played by Christian Rybicki. The song contained many sliding notes and key changes and made for an engaging listening experience. Immediately after that dramatic song, things took a much sillier turn in “Galop,” a song entirely composed of solfege. The tune began as nothing more than a fun melody, but quickly devolved into an extremely fast, beautiful mess. The Fall Concert was a great start to the year, despite the circumstances that some of the choirs find themselves in. The talent is unshakable.
