Middlebury Chamber Singers Sing of the Moon

Author: Zoey Burrows

The Middlebury College Chamber Singers recently performed their fall concert, a sophisticated and poignant presentation of some of the College's most talented student voices. The concert incorporated a refreshing array of composers, languages and subject matter. The group sang about life's many wonders, from the hardships of winter in French to the love of a song-bird in Italian. Director Jeff Rehbach pointed out that one of the last songs on the program quite appropriately made mention of the moon as the weekend's lunar eclipse progressed outside.

The 23-person group walked onto the CFA stage promptly at 8 p.m. on Saturday night. Eclectically dressed in white, blue and red blouses (and pink hair of one female member), the singers commenced with two songs from the English anthem tradition. Next they sang three renditions of Ave Maria in Latin and English, the first written in 1497 and the second in 1928. The last of the three renditions, composed by Morten Lauridsen in 1997, was rich in dynamic change, with foreboding harmonies reminiscent of the beautiful Civil War film "Dances with Wolves."

Sophomore Alyssa Jumars said that the Ave Maria set was by far her favorite of the program. Community Chorus member Marcy Smith, particularly liked the second Ave Maria song for its "soaring and flowing" tendencies.

Claude Debussy's "Trois Chansons de Charles d'Orleans," published in 1910, came next. The first two movements were decidedly more modern than the previous songs, distinguished by difficult, atonal harmonies. However, the group's pitch and quality of sound did not waver. Soloists Mary Montgomery '04, Jessica Isler '04, Daniel Koppel '04 and Scott Guenther '06 sang commendably throughout. Former group member Sarah Pieplow '04 especially enjoyed the group's performance of the Debussy piece and was impressed by "their sense of group and musicality."

For all but one song in the program, the singers stood in mixed arrangements, sopranos standing by tenors and basses by altos. Their varied positioning successfully achieved a unified and interesting sound, the singers expressing no apparent difficulty finding their respective notes.

The final two sets included a group of lute-songs and madrigals, and a more contemporary choral settings by Estonian composer Arvo Part and American Eric Whitacre. Whitacre's songs closed the program on a serious note. Though evidently influenced greatly by the Beatles, Whitacre must have composed "Water Night" and "Sleep" when in a dark place, for both songs are strikingly beautiful, though somber and slow. After the last note was uttered, the audience was left to contemplate the meaning of such solemn themes.

Montgomery especially enjoyed singing the Debussy piece and the Italian madrigals, for their levity and because "they are not church music and are well written for singers." Koppel especially enjoyed the last two Whitacre pieces. Both seniors said that they were pleased with the performance overall, especially considering that it occurred earlier in the semester than usual, leaving less time to prepare.

The Chamber Singers formed only five years ago under the direction of Professor John Milson. Current director Jeff Rehbach was named conductor in April 2000. Selection to the group is becoming increasingly competitive as Middlebury students realize the joy of singing classical music. This fall only three new members were admitted from the Class of 2007 - soprano Elizabeth Vazquez, bass Adam Fazio and tenor Jason Grout. Look for their next performance in the spring arts calendar and get yourself to wherever they are.