Love: As Expressed Through the Singing of the Men’s and University Choruses

Love, whether within an intimate relationship, a family relationship, or even a friendship, is a beautiful emotion. While every individual experiences love differently, the collaboration of the University Chorus and Men's Chorus on an upcoming concert, aims to portray the beauty of every type of love though song.

The concert, Facets of Love, set for April 8, provides a striking emphasis on the value of an all-male performance. Director Ryan Olsen of the Men’s Chorus stated, “The sounds of male voices singing together produces a dramatic ‘ring’ that echoes throughout the performance hall, and often has an inspiring energy that other choirs may lack. That and everyone loves seeing a group of men singing with passion and enthusiasm!”

An all-male chorus is not the only thing to look forward to at this concert, but also the pieces being performed. Stuart Dameron, director of the University Chorus – CSU’s large mixed choir – emphasized that each piece, with an exception of one, is written by living American composers. In addition, he stated, “None of the texts of these pieces were conceived by the composers themselves, but rather were borrowed and adapted from previously existing prose and poetry about love, some dating back hundreds of years.”

To appropriately fulfill the potential of each piece, the choirs have dedicated numerous hours to perfecting each one. Examples of their effort can be heard in “Jenny” Kiss'd Me, by Eric Barnum, which is based on a poem by James Hunt about the excitement of first love, and I Am Not Yours by David Childs, which is set to a Sara Teasdale poem about love that is unrequited or has yet to develop. Dameron concluded, “There is a deep yearning by the poet to be ‘lost in you, as a candle lit at noon [or] a snowflake in the sea,’ and this is reflected and enhanced exquisitely by Childs' music setting.”

Not to be outdone, the Men’s Chorus program has much to offer as well. Interesting pieces include Zikr by Ethan Sperry, based upon various Islamic chants and the Whirling Dervish tradition. While these chants have a sacred text, they were not composed for a religious ceremony, but were instead composed for a Bollywood film.

The Men's Chorus will also perform Prayer of the Children by Kurt Bestor, which Director Olsen explained was originally composed during the genocide in Bosnia/Herzegovina in the 1990s, but “is still relevant today with the challenges and dangers that children face fleeing the wars in Syria and other places around the world.” Additional pieces to be performed include a beautiful setting of the Schubert's lieder Du Bist die Ruh and the American folk song Shenandoah.

Many brilliant pieces with intensified meaning will be performed at this concert that will truly have something for everyone to enjoy. Audience members can expect to be engulfed in the emotions of love and be captured by the collective sound of both the Men’s Chorus and the University Chorus.

~ by Samantha Bufmack, Marketing Intern