Campus choirs and orchestra join for final concert

By Elizabeth Crawford Collegian Reporter

Senior Jack Golden said he couldn’t be happier about his first experience as a concertmaster with the Hillsdale College Symphony Orchestra.

The Hillsdale College choir, chamber choir, and orchestra performed their final show of the semester in Christ Chapel on Nov. 19. Both choirs and the orchestra performed for a full house. Late afternoon light streamed through the westward windows of the chapel, and Christmas greenery created a festive atmosphere.

The chamber choir performed five pieces for the audience, ranging from more sacred music such as the “Magnificat” and “Nunc Dimittis” by Andrew Maxfield to the spiritual “I Got a Key” arranged by Joni Jensen.

Professor of Music, Choirs, and Orchestra James Holleman conducted the chamber choir in the beginning. Associate Professor of Music Derek Stauff joined the choir on the organ for part of the “Magnificat” and “Nunc Dimittis.”

“‘The Magnificat’ and the ‘Nunc’ were from our project in October where we did this commissioned world premiere of our Evensong Service,” Holleman said. “This was a second opportunity to perform that music because we worked so hard on it.”

As to the timing of the performance, Holleman wanted to be mindful of students’ other commitments.

“I wanted each of the three groups to have enough substance for an end of the semester concert,” Holleman said. “Typically we do two concerts at the end of the semester, one for the orchestra and one for the choirs, but with only one week after Thanksgiving before finals, I’ve just been learning that to do a concert while people are getting ready for finals is just really stressful for the students.”

The college choir performed “The Seed is in the Ground,” another one of Maxfield’s works, and John Rutter’s “Gloria.”

Sophomore Caitlin Filep, who had a solo during the “Gloria,” was happy with the performance the college choir gave with the orchestra.

“I loved doing the ‘Gloria,’” Filep said. “There’s a really beautiful brass refrain in the second piece. The brass predict a lot of the musical themes that the choir is about to sing, and they kind of echo what’s been done before in the piece, so that they just hold it all together.”

Golden viewed the concert as a testament to the orchestra’s talent and commitment.

“I think we had seven rehearsals to prepare this concert, totaling about 13