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The Department of Music at Washington and Lee will present the University Singers in concert on Tuesday, Feb. 28, at 8 p.m. in the Wilson Concert Hall. The University Singers, recognized as one of the finest collegiate a cappella choirs in the region, are an internationally competitive touring choir who will be returning from a performance tour of Hawai`i, North Carolina and Virginia.
Tickets are free, but required. Call the Lenfest Center box office at (540) 458-8000 to reserve tickets.
The University Singers, under the direction of Shane M. Lynch, perform a wide variety of literature at major venues across the globe while serving as artistic ambassadors for the university in concert series, music festivals, conventions and University outreach events. The tour program will feature a variety of works, from choral classics by Bach and Victoria to music of the native Hawaiian populations. Traditional American folksongs and other audience favorites will round out the evening.
The tour to Hawai`i, made possible through the donations of alums and parents of alums of the University Singer members, highlights a year of cultural exploration for the ensemble. Coordinated by former Choral Conducting Mentorship Program member Olivia (Shaves) Arnold ’17, who studies music in Oahu, the trip represented an opportunity to learn about the culture and music of Pacific Islander Americans.
Four themed sets that cover the choral spectrum will be presented, with each one taking a different avenue of importance in Hawaiian history and culture explored during the tour.
The first set, “The Lutheran Choral School,” follows the traditions of centuries of missionary work dominating many aspects of Hawaiian culture. Complete with a featured concert at the Lutheran Church on Honolulu, the pieces explore how mainland and European music combined with Hawaiian elements throughout the past century.
The second set, “Three Centuries of Latin Polyphony,” ties the work the University Singers did in the fall with the City of Derry International Choir Festival into the February tour, and includes one of Lynch’s compositions, “Laudate Dominum Omnes Gentes.”
The third set of the program, “A Hawaiian State of Mind,” highlights the music of Aloha state. While in Oahu this month, the choir is working with the renowned conductor Nola Nāhulu, the Hawaiian Youth Opera Chorus, and members of the Hawaiian chapter of the American Choral Directors Association. The choir is sharing music, dance, and fellowship with the musical guides, complete with performances of pieces of music written by Queen Lili‛uokalani, the last monarch of Hawai`i and an accomplished composer of choral music.
“The chance for the choir to work with a musician of the caliber of ‘Aunty’ Nola on the Queen’s music is truly once-in-a-lifetime,” said Lynch before the tour started this week. “Our students will learn and grow in ways, both musically and personally, that should influence their lives forever. There can be no greater gift than the chance to share this music that is so underrepresented within mainland circles within the United States.”
Finally, the University Singers will close the concert with audience favorites, including Stacey V. Gibbs’ triumphant “Ezekiel,” the work the University Singers won the Visit Derry Award for at the fall festival after working with Gibbs in preparation. Also included is J. Reese Norris’ “The Crossing,” which will give senior Taylor Colaizzi a chance to shine on the clarinet among other works, before finally ending with W&L’s traditional “Shenandoah.”
