A Masterworks Concert for the Books

On Friday, Apr. 20, Samo’s Madrigal Ensemble, Chamber Singers and Chorale Choir, under direction of Choir Director and Conductor Jeffe Huls, hosted their biennial Masterworks Concert that consisted of three songs, including one that was sung in five parts. Madrigals kicked off the concert singing “Fern Hill” by composer John Corigliano and lyrics by Dylan Thomas. This song was accompanied by a group of professional musicians that were contracted through the Horizon Music Group’s General Manager Christian Camps. This song also showcased former Samo alum Shari Perman singing a solo.“The song was about growing up and over time realizing how the world around you changes as do you,” Madrigal singer, Sophie Golay (’19) said. “You begin to forget all the wonder you used to have in the world and begin to live in fear of almost everything.”Next up was Chamber, who sang “Song of the Universal” by composer Ola Gjeilo and lyrics by Walt Whitman.“We’ve been working on this repertoire since the beginning of this semester so finally performing it was amazing. Singing a piece (“Song of the Universal”) with such a strong message of acceptance and unity in a group of powerful young women made our final performance so much more fulfilling,” Chamber singer, Jana Heckerman (’18) said.After a brief intermission, the stage was reset to accommodate seats for the Samo Masterworks Orchestra. This song, “Mass in C Major, Op. 86” composed by Ludwig van Beethoven, was accompanied by four soloists: Perman who sang soprano, Meagan Martin who sang mezzo-soprano, John K. Russell who sang tenor and Matthew Lewis who sang bass. All choirs sang in this 40-minute song that was broken into six parts: Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Benedictus and Agnus Dei. “It’s a super long and intense piece, and it was really fun and rewarding to see all the work we had put into it over a few months culminate into a great performance,” Chorale singer, Ira Zimmerman (’20) said. Since then, the choir program has been preparing for their next concert at the end of the year.