The ancient Greek philosopher, Plato, once observed that music and rhythm find their way into the secret places of the soul. Even though he was referring to the music we may not appreciate today, he hit upon an important universal truth. He could well be talking about the choral music that will fill the College of the Canyons Performing Arts Center on May 19th.
Four ensembles will fill the air with energy, precision and emotion, presenting pieces ranging from Magnificat by Charles Theodore Pachelbel for double choir to Gabriel Faure’s prize winning work Cantique de Jean Racine.
Choir director, Julie Lawson, promises plenty of up-tempo fun during the evening with four- and five-voiced madrigals, gospel numbers and complex and varied sounds of jazz. The jazz choir aptly named, Just Jazz, will sing everything from jazz-rock to samba to New Orleans street beat and then close their set with I Want You Back made famous by the Jackson 5.
The evening will culminate with all four choirs performing the exciting gospel number John the Revelator.
Lawson’s choral department offers four choirs, all of which are performance groups and open to students and community members.
“It is a great opportunity to further develop one’s sight singing abilities, improve vocal technique and become familiar with the wonderful choral literature that is available,” Lawson said.
“We sing music from the Renaissance period through the 20th century, including jazz and pop.” Through the following ensembles, students learn the relevant issues concerning performance practice and rehearsal techniques. All four groups refine the individual selections to high standards and represent the college throughout the community.
The Voices of the Canyons is a large, mixed-voice choir that covers everything from folk songs, spirituals, motets and cantatas, to larger works for choir and orchestra. The Chamber Singers, also a mixed-voice group, is smaller in size and works on music more suitable for a small, intimate gathering, such as madrigals, chansons, jazz and pop. Les Chanteuses, a women’s choir, performs music written specifically for the female voice and, Just Jazz is a mixed vocal group open to advanced singers with an interest in jazz and learning challenging choral literature. The music ranges from four to eight parts, with some songs a cappella and others accompanied, usually by a jazz trio.
The May 19th performance is the culmination of student work during the College of the Canyons spring 2007 semester.
Curtain for the choir show will be at 8 p.m. and tickets are available at $10 and $5 through the Performing Arts Center Website at www.canyonsPAC.com or by calling the box office at 661-362-5304.
