On Nov. 29 at 7 p.m. in Walker Recital Hall, the D’Angelo Department of Music will present a Small Ensembles Concert.
This concert features works written for more intimate ensembles of musicians.
The evening’s ensembles will be the Brass Ensemble, under the direction of Kent Tucker; the Flute Ensemble, under the direction of Amanda Sage; the String Chamber Ensemble, under the direction of Jonathan Moser; the Clarinet Choir and the Saxophone Quartet, both under the direction of Rebecca Wunch; and the Carpe Diem Chorale, newly under the direction of Thomas Brooks.
The Carpe Diem Chorale will be performing “Kyrie” from Faure’s Messe Basse, “Still, Still, Still an Austrian Carol” as arranged by Norman Luboff, and “Lift Thine Eyes” from Mendelssohn’s Elijah.
Its members are freshmen Music Education majors Caitlyn Cressley and Rachele Heasley, junior Music Education major Stephanie Dowling, sophomore Forensic Anthropology major Sarah Ford and senior Music Education major Emily Kreitzer-Housler.
Kreitzer-Housler said that “singing with the Chamber Choir is a different experience than singing with the Concert Choir.”
While a larger choir involves a larger group of singers per part, she says that “Chamber Choir demands independence on parts and requires members to solidly know their music” due to the smaller number of singers per part.
Singing in the smaller ensemble is more difficult because of issues of balance.
“It involves compensating for five distinct voices that have to sound equal to create a cohesive sound, while also showcasing the uniqueness of voices,” said Kreitzer-Housler.
The small ensembles concert occurs once a semester and gives music students the opportunity to perform in smaller groups, an essential experience for musicians.
Performing in a chamber ensemble generally requires different skills of the performers than a larger ensemble, and individual musicianship, communication and accountability from all of the performers are all essential.
This event is free and open to the public.