Singing, uniting as a chorus

Music has the power to bring people together. This last Monday, the power of music brought together choirs from around the local area, including Oregon State University’s very own choral groups.

The Chorus Festival 2013 at LaSells Stewart Center showcased the talents of high school singers from West Linn, West and South Albany, Crescent Valley, Springfield and Corvallis. The high school groups even joined the OSU men’s and women’s choirs on stage at the end of the show to form massive groups.

“[The event] went very well,” said Tina Bull, director of Bella Voice, the women’s choir. “It was super fun having all those young women singing [with] us all. [There was] a giant stage full of high school students with the college students. So, we really enjoy that outreach.”

Singing with college choral groups can help young singers become better, but it also helps the older musicians as well. Chuck Gidley, a senior majoring in business who sings with the men’s choir, said singing with the high school students can help put it all in perspective.

“I think sometimes [the singers] lose [sight of] how far they have come, and that’s kind of a confidence boost for them,” Gidley said
This term, the choirs have been focusing on preparing the songs they sang at the festival. Now that it’s over, the focus is going to shift towards their big trip to New York this May.  They have planned performances at the Lincoln Center and at Saint Paul’s Cathedral, said Russ Christensen, the director of the men’s choir.

“We are going to be combining forces along with the symphony for a major work, Vaughan Williams’ ‘Dona Nobis Pacem,’” Christensen said. “Our soloists will be former OSU grads. Anyway, it’s a big undertaking, and we are excited about it.”

John Aljets, Orange Report KBVR reporter
news@dailybarometer.com