Malmgren Concert Series amplifies global sounds with three choral ensembles
Hendricks Chapel's Fall Choral Concert featured songs from a variety of cultures, languages and time periods. Crouse Chorale performed “La Paloma," a Venezuelan folk song featuring a dancer. Christian Calabrese | Asst. Photo Editor
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Songs from across time and history filled Hendricks Chapel on Sunday. Alongside traditional choir voices, the music included rap performances, percussion, guitar, harp strumming and dance.
“The pieces that we did are kind of all over the place,” said Emma Donvito, Crouse Chorale singer. “We did a lot of different genres, and we were very skilled in switching between each of them.”
Hendricks Chapel’s Malmgren Concert Series hosted its Fall Choral Concert on Sunday afternoon. Setnor School of Music’s three choral ensembles — University Singers, Concert Choir and the Crouse Chorale — sang musical pieces from a wide variety of cultures and time periods.
The concert aimed to represent cultures of the whole world, Kyra Stahr, Crouse Chorale conductor, said. She wanted to make sure there was variety in when the pieces were written, where the composers are from and what languages the students are singing in. The repertoire emphasized the importance of music around the world, University Singers member Eliza Halteman said.
The program featured work from South American, North American and European composers. They also showcased African American spirituals like “Children, Go Where I Send Thee” and “Elijah Rock,” rooted in Black musical traditions in the United States.
A few modern pieces added temporal variety, including Canadian composer Katerina Gimon’s “Fire” and American composer Gwyneth Walker’s “I Will Be Earth.”
“The repertoire we do is so extensive, from the ‘Regina caeli laetare’ to the Hogan, the spiritual,” Samuel Mincey, soloist for University Singers, said. “It was all just so moving.”
The acoustics of Hendricks Chapel change the choral sounds, Stahr said. The performers had to adjust to the reverberant space, which can be difficult, she said. The concert also included new lighting choices that matched color to musical mood, a choice Stahr said she hopes to expand using more visual design.
Jeffrey Kern, a member of University Singers, said the group has been a safe space for him, where he’s comfortable to grow and make mistakes.
“You’re never going to be perfect the first time, but when that moment finally clicks and we all come together and raise our voices, it’s just so special and magical,” Kern said. “That’s not something I could trade for the world and not something I could live without either.”
Concert Choir was one of three choral ensembles at the Fall Choral Concert. They performed a range of pieces, from “Elijah Rock” to “Brightest and Best.” Christian Calabrese | Asst. Photo Editor
Leda Rossmann, a singer in Crouse Chorale, said she’s enjoyed singing with a group of powerful women in the all-female ensemble. She said the concert really brought out the joy of singing with others.
“(They) fostered this amazing magical energy between the group, where we can all be our authentic selves and share our music in such a special way,” Rossmann said.
“La Paloma,” the first piece on the program, is a Venezuelan folk song that features guitar and percussion. During the song, dancer Abigail Werner performed with the Crouse Chorale singers. Stahr said she hopes people were “blown away” by the holistic approach to the piece.
Later in the performance, Crouse Chorale performed “Children, Go Where I Send Thee,” an arrangement of a spiritual by Kevin Phillip Johnson. Stahr said she thought the piece would leave the audience “stunned” and “awestruck,” since the song features a rap solo, percussion and bass. She hoped these elements would excite the audience.
Ericka Desrosiers, a freshman student in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, said she immediately noticed the balance and blend of the ensemble.
“I just love the harmonization, the volume, the opera, the voices. Everything was just beautiful,” Desrosiers said. “There was a great balance. One wasn’t overpowering the other.”
At Syracuse, choir isn’t just for music majors; it’s a space where students from every background can find an easy and meaningful way to add friendship and music into their college experience, Stahr said.
Halteman said the concert showcased the importance of music on a global scale.
“Music is the universal language,” Halteman said. “It brings everybody together. There’s something really beautiful about making music and maintaining music through every single struggle that ever happens.”
