Southwestern Michigan College Director of Choral Activities David Carew titled Friday’s fall choral concert “Fantasia” to represent the variety of forms and styles featured.
The Oct. 28 concert at 7:30 p.m. in the theatre of the Dale A. Lyons Building on SMC’s Dowagiac campus consists of vocal jazz, folk and pop, in both contemporary and classical settings.
Vocal Jazz Ensemble opens with two songs arranged by Greg Jasperse, Western Michigan University Gold Company director — a stunning a cappella arrangement of Sting’s “Fields of Gold” and a samba-infused version of the Turtles’ 1967 hit, “Happy Together.”
Men’s Ensemble features two folk-song arrangements.
“Hard Times Come Again No More” is a nostalgic, heartfelt four-part men’s setting by Stephen Foster, considered the “Father of American Music,” with more than 200 songs to his credit. Another master American composer, Alice Parker, arranged.
“The Parting Glass,” a traditional Irish folk song, is typically performed at the end of gatherings of close friends. It was the most popular parting song sung in Scotland until Robert Burns wrote “Auld Lang Syne.” This arrangement by Thomas Juneau includes solo violin and piano.
Select Voices present “Quicksand Years,” “I Will Lift Mine Eyes,” “Lake Isle” and “Let the River Run.”
“Quicksand Years” is second of three Walt Whitman settings composed by Rene Clausen. The text comes from Whitman’s “Leaves of Grass,” first published in 1855 and considered one of the central works of American poetry.
The text of “I Will Lift My Eyes,” based on Psalm 121, describes the beauty and serenity of nature in the melodic lines and harmonic structure of this sublime a cappella setting.
“Lake Isle” is a beautiful setting by Norwegian/American composer Ola Gjeilo of William Butler Yeats’ poem, “The Lake Isle of Innisfree.”
Accompaniment includes a string quartet and guitar played by Dan Maxon, part-time theatre faculty.
Innisfree is a small island in a lake called Lough Gill in Sligo County, Ireland. Yeats received the 1923 Nobel Prize for Literature.
“Let the River Run” is original music by Carly Simon from the 1989 “Working Girl” soundtrack arranged by Craig Hella Johnson, 1991 founder and artistic director of the 2014 Grammy-winning Austin, Texas, choir, Conspirare (“to breathe together”).
Concert Choir concludes with “I See the Heaven’s Glories Shine,” “God’s Gonna Set This World on Fire,” “Verleih Uns Frieden” and “Wana Baraka.”
“I See the Heaven’s Glories Shine” combines an Emily Bronte poem with music by Andrea Ramsey.
“God’s Gonna Set This World on Fire” is a traditional spiritual by Moses Hogan.
Felix Mendelssohn composed “Verleih Uns Frieden” in 1831. The German text calls for peace in time of peril.
“Wana Baraka” is a Kenyan folk song Shawn Kirchner arranged.
Kirchner learned the song through a delegation of Kenyans who participated in the 1994 Agricultural Missions International Consultation in Sogakope, Ghana.
Admission is free, but donations benefiting the Visual and Performing Arts Department are always appreciated.
Southwestern Michigan College is a public, residential and commuter, community college, founded in 1964. The college averages in the top 10 percent nationally for student academic success based upon the National Community College Benchmark Project. Southwestern Michigan College strives to be the college of first choice, to provide the programs and services to meet the needs of students, and to serve our community. The college is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and is a member of the American Association of Community Colleges.