Each year, SNU’s music department puts on performances that draw crowds of students and parents alike. The ensembles that the choirs and the band put together are easily the most popular of the musical performances on campus. It is easy to see why: they are the largest productions in terms of length and people involved. With the magnitude of these collaborations drawing attention, smaller performances are often overlooked.
Much of our student body has not set foot in Cantrell. It has an auditorium smaller than Herrick, and it’s one of the older buildings on campus. Some students may not know but some of the school’s best musical performances are hosted there.
Last week, a piano recital was held there for duets between students and teachers. The performances were less flamboyant than, say, SNL or even some of the more ambitious chapel services but they were no less passionate. It is one thing to listen to a recording of a piano performance and something totally different to see one live.
The next performance to be held there is the “Light Rain” choir concert this Thursday, October 26. This show will be a cumulation of the music that both the choral and concert choirs have been practicing over the semester. Dr. Jim Graves works hard to prepare both choirs for each performance regardless of size or venue. To his frustration, advertising for smaller shows, such as this one, has always proved difficult.
The show is a mixture of songs both culturally and tonally. The concert choir opens up with some familiar tunes and some lesser known gospel songs. The most unique of these is a song composed by Jake Dickerson, a graduate of SNU. The choral concert performs afterward with a series of more emotional and more technically difficult arrangements. Benjamin Scott, a baritone in the choral choir describes the event as “a beautiful and interesting performance,” and urges students “not to miss it this Thursday.”
This Thursday, if you are not busy cheering on our women’s volleyball team in Sawyer, consider checking out choral and concert choir in Cantrell. If you are unable to make it, there is an SNU music concert of some sort almost every week. Next Thursday night, the music department is holding a jazz concert in Herrick. This show will feature both the jazz band and the university jazz singers.
For a full list of musical performances, visit the concert schedule here: http://snu.edu/music-events
(Photo Courtesy of SNU)