February 24 & 25, 2024 - Musically driven students and faculty from the Keene State College Concert Choir and the Plymouth State University Choirs had the chance to showcase their talents alongside the New Hampshire Philharmonic as part of a series of concerts showcasing Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 on Feb. 18, 24 and 25 at Plymouth State University, and the Seifert Performing Arts Center in Salem, N.H.
The KSC and PSU choir members and faculty provided the vocal component for Symphony No. 2. Vocal solos were provided by KSC’s soprano soloist Dr. Evan Leontis, and PSU’s alto soloist Hannah Murray.
KSC music Professor Dr. Sandra Howard sang alongside the choir and said the performance opportunity correlates with student success.
Howard said two choral professors, two solo vocalists and an orchestra, among other musicians, collaborated to realize the performance.
“This isn’t something our students have the chance to experience often,” Howard said. “This is a fantastic chance for our student musicians to level-up their musicianship, and hopefully build confidence that can translate into their future goals.”
Howard said the collaborative concert offered interdisciplinary opportunities to musically-minded members of the KSC community.
“Concert Choir is open to anyone on campus. We’re not just talking choral students, but anyone who connects with music. We have members from over 20 different majors, including instrumental students who wanted the chance to get up close and personal with the professional level New Hampshire Philharmonic,” said Howard.
Val Zanchuk is a trumpet player and the treasurer of the New Hampshire Philharmonic’s board of directors. Zanchuk said the Mahler concert series was the orchestra’s first collaboration with college-level musicians.
“This isn’t an opportunity they have every day, being able to play with a professional orchestra doesn’t happen all too often, and it was exciting for all of us,” Zanchuk said. “They did a great job, and we didn’t have to rehearse for more than one session. The choir came in so softly that it felt like heaven.”
Zanchuk added, “I hope they had the chance to embrace the personal, emotional, and spiritual feeling you get from performing for an audience,” Zanchuk said.
Junior James Slipp, a music performance major who sang with the Concert Choir, said Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 was a challenging and rewarding piece to work on. “This semester has been almost constant work on Mahler. It’s a challenging piece, and most people don’t get to perform at this level until later in their musical careers,” said Slipp. “It’s been great to work alongside so many talented people, and I hope the audience feels the same kind of awe we do. Mahler knew exactly what he was doing,” Slipp said.
Reporter: Ryan Pacheco can be contacted at rpacheco@kscequinox.com
https://kscequinox.com/2024/03/concert-choir-sings-in-salem/
