Performance at Harvard Festival of Women's Choruses!

On Friday, February 27th, Premier Choir had the joy of performing along side the Elm City Girl's Choir, the Festival Singers of Newton South High School, and the Boston Conservatory Women's Chorus at the Harvard Festival of Women's Choruses. (Don't be alarmed by the title... our PC boys were allowed to come along as well!) The performance was most enjoyable because Lowell Hall at Harvard had wonderful acoustics, and it was a thrill to see other groups perform.


The most exciting thing about the evening for us however, was the repertoire that we performed. Each piece had an entirely different character which gave the audience an unique experience each time, and was fun and challenging (in a good way) for us to perform. We started with Stephen Hatfield's "Uberlebensgroß" which, although we've performed it many times, is always thrilling to sing. The song incorportates the use of bamboo poles and sticks and other small instruments to give a very tribal feel, while still sounding choral. Next we sang Michael Bojensen's "Plant a Tree", a beautiful piece in which we split into triple chorus and reenact the growth of a tree through body movements. Third we sang "Tea Invitation" from Hot Tea, Mint, and Olives which was especially fun to sing because the composer, Kareem Roustom, was in the audience. We then moved on to "Suscepit Israel" from Magnificat in D Major which was interesting to perform because Mr. Tk played his cello for the piece, leaving us to feel our way through the music as an ensemble in order to unify our cut-offs and enterances. Fifth was Bartok's "The Wooing of a Girl" which is a favorite because we all embrace the character of the piece and act out their feelings as we sing... the audience might find it to be a little ridiculous, but we have lots of fun. Next we sang "Come Sunday" which requires a total change in mood and feeling as it embodies the spirit of the importance of the church in the non-violent movement for civil rights. Finally, for our grand finale, we sang Alberto Grau's "Como Tu" which is an experience unto itself. It tells the story of a princess, starting off in three-part texture and ending in a sixteen-part expolosion which is both exhausting but fun and rewarding to sing.