By Jameson Filston, Campus Carrier Online Editor
Chords of both harmony and dissonance flowed through the eaves of Frost Chapel last Sunday as the Berry College Choirs held their first combined concert of the year, “Sacred Music in a Sacred Space.” Students of all majors performed in the four groups: The Berry College Women’s Choir, Men’s Choir, Berry Singers and the brand new Berry Voices ensemble.
The picturesque scenery and wonderful acoustics made this the ideal spot to host this special event. Paul Neal, associate professor of music and director of choral activities, says that performing at the venue is a special treat, and one of his favorite places to sing on Berry’s campus. Stefanie Cash, director of music education, assistant professor of music and women’s choir director, was excited to show off the newly reestablished women’s choir.
It is Cash’s first year at Berry, and the first year there has been a women’s choir in quite some time, so she wanted to make a good impression in everything from performance to song choice.
“I really wanted to pick something that would show off the women,” Cash said. “I wanted it to be exciting for the audience.”
Rachel Mayo, Berry Choirs Manager and a junior voice major, thinks the concert went very well.
“Dr. Cash has done a phenomenal job at creating a unified sound,” Mayo said. “They have also done some really challenging pieces.”
Neal and Mayo are excited for the camaraderie that the choirs are beginning to develop. All choirs have been practicing for the show three times a week since August to get these songs just right.
“We are all very supportive of each other,” Mayo said.
Cash is impressed by the unity, attitude and work ethic that the choirs demonstrated leading up to the show.
Since the directors wanted the show to be exciting for the audience, they chose unique songs to show off these choirs. Two notably unique songs were “Miniyama Nayo,” a nonsense song made to explore the human voice, and “Kyrie,” accompanied by steel drums and percussion. Both directors cited these two songs among their favorites in the show.
Adding to the excitement of the show, College President Stephen R. Briggs and Dean of Academic Services David Slade lent their skills to the men’s choir during their performance of “I Will Wait” by Mumford and Sons.
Cash wants a place where all majors feel welcome to come and sing and have fun.
“Music is a fabulous way to relieve stress,” Cash said. “Once you start singing, my philosophy is to sing from birth to death.”
Now that “Sacred Music in a Sacred Space” has come and gone, it is time for the choral department to turn their voices to the future. The choirs have two more shows at Berry, “Lessons and Carols” near Christmas, and Mozart’s Requiem in the spring.
It is a time of change and growth, and there are even more unique opportunities coming up for Berry’s choirs. Portions of “Lessons and Carols” will be recorded for publicity purposes. Berry Singers will tour Florida over Spring Break, showing off their talents at churches and high schools. In the same spirit, Berry Voices will be doing a showcase for high school students.