Choir finishes Cali. tour in Concert Hall

On Monday, April 4, the Middlebury College Choir performed in the CFA Concert Hall. The program included compositions by Brahms, Duruflé and Whitacre, as well as sacred liturgies, comical ditties and amorous traditional songs. With soaring vocals and a varied repertoire, the performance marked the end of the choir’s spring break California tour. While on tour, the group sang at a variety of locations, including a Korean church, three high schools and the Monterey Institute for International Studies.

Carla Cevasco ’11, who has been performing in the Middlebury Choir since her freshman year, noted that while the tour’s program was particularly demanding, the experience was rewarding in the end.

“Tour is an amazing opportunity to grow as a group,” Cevasco said. “It’s pretty high pressure to sing four concerts in six days … But the people aspect of tour is also really important. We’re stuck with each other day in, day out in a way that we aren’t during the regular school year, and that creates unique artistic and social chemistry. We’ve strengthened ourselves as a community of people and a community of musicians.”

There were many memorable moments during the trip, but an undeniable highlight of the tour was an impromptu performance on an airplane from San Francisco to Chicago.

“We got on the plane and the flight attendant asked us what kind of group we were. When we told her we were a choir, she insisted that we sing to the other passengers at 39,000 feet,” Cevasco said. “The acoustics weren’t great, but it’s an experience I won’t forget.”

Danielle Kruse ’11, who joined the choir this fall, shared similar sentiments about the sense of community within the choir.

“I feel so lucky to have been a part of this great tradition, even if just for a short time,” Kruse said. “After our concert [on April 4], I couldn’t keep a few tears from sneaking out, both because I was sad it was our last full performance and because I was so happy to have been a part of it.”

Cevasco also attributed the choir’s success to Assistant Professor of Music Jeffrey Buettner. Buettner conducts and directs the College’s choral program, and is a co-founder of the Middlebury Bach Festival, among numerous musical achievements. He joined the College faculty in 2007 and, in addition to conducting the choir, also teaches the “Everything A Cappella” course.

“He’s incredibly talented and pushes us to sing challenging music and sing it well, even though Middlebury isn’t a big choir school,” Cevasco said. “I feel bad for the audience because they can’t see him conduct — [they] miss about 75 percent of the show because Jeff makes the most amazing facial expressions and gestures and makes us laugh. Jeff and the seniors arrived on campus in the same year so we like to think that he’s a senior too, in a sense.”

Laurel Taylor ’11 noted that, in addition to his conducting technique, Buettner’s leadership brought the choir to a higher standing on campus despite other performing arts groups’ popularity.

“He started with a group that seemed neglected in the face of campus a capella and other music programs and managed to turn us into a touring choir in only two years and to establish a Bach festival in only four,” Taylor said. “I’m astounded at his work ethic and very grateful to have sung under his direction.”

Despite its challenges, the spring break tour was not the choir’s last performance set this semester. Before the end of the year, the choir will be singing in the Bach Festival, the Senior Week Concert (in which seniors pick their favorite songs and have the choir sing them) and Baccalaureate.