MMC Music Students Ready For End Of Year Concert
April 25, 2018
As the end of the school year approaches, Mount Marty College’s (MMC) music students are preparing for their final hurrahs.
On Thursday, MMC’s Choral Union will perform the Gabriel Fauré "Requiem" in Bishop Marty Chapel at 7 p.m. Next Tuesday, the MMC voice area recital will be held in Marian Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. and will feature students who were registered in voice studies.
Both performances are free and open to the public.
MMC choral instructor Brandon Connell has worked with all the singers in each of the upcoming performances, having led the Choral Union throughout the year and teaching various choral lessons to music students.
The Choral Union performance will also feature the chamber orchestra.
Prior to "Requiem," each of the student vocal groups that comprise Choral Union — Mixed Choir, Chamber Choir and Smooth Benediction — will perform songs they’ve sung in the last year.
Connell said he chose this particular requiem due to its focus on eternal rest and consolation.
"I like to have my choirs perform a requiem every couple years just to remember the people we’ve lost in our lives," he said. "It’s both a spiritual and musical exercise."
It’s also a teaching exercise to Connell, who has to conduct the various voice sections throughout the requiem, each of which have busy parts.
"This particular composer likes to use added notes in chords and some difficult integrals to sing, which are hard to get around," he said.
It’s also challenging once the orchestra is brought in, as the choir only has a few practices with them ahead of the performance.
"I try to tie it all together," Connell said.
In contrast, the voice recital will primarily feature solo performances, with students singing a wide range of music, from country to Broadway tunes. They will be accompanied by either a solo instrument, such as a piano or guitar, or by the MMC band.