The men and the music: Man Choir

Eloise GrahamStaff WriterTears in their eyes, the audience at the 2010 Spring Choral Concert honored Samo’s Man Choir with a standing ovation.Man Choir is a choral group composed solely of 40 to 50 male singers from the Samo music program. The ensemble usually sings music from the classical genre; however, this year they performed a version of The Plain White-T’s “Hey There Delilah” for Supper Serenade, the only contemporary music-themed choir concert of the year.“What inspired me to do Man Choir again this year was last year, when people were crying in the audience,” junior Peter Harding said.Several members are excited to see how Man Choir will continue to grow.“After singing ‘Loch Lomond,’ I wanted to see where we could go from there. We can only get better now,” junior Cheyton Jain said.The anticipated growth of Man Choir keeps members excited and involved.“It’s an amazing experience to sing only with other guys because we don’t get that opportunity very often,” Harding said.While there has been a perpetuated stereotype that guys don’t sing, choral conductor Jeffe Huls believes a choir of 40 testosterone- laden teens singing is powerful — maybe even powerful enough to break the stereotype.“Last year I saw that there were a lot of really talented guys in choir, the most in my history at Samo. I’ve always had the idea and last year seemed the year to do it,” Huls said regarding the creation of Man Choir. “The boys enjoyed it so I continued it this year.”Man Choir only rehearses on Thursdays, and as such it has a laid- back vibe that is different from the traditional, classical choral experience of specific choirs. However, Huls does not want Man Choir to be an outlet for those who “do not have time.” Therefore, the new choir is only available to previous choir or band students. This way, participants are fully invested in music aside from Man Choir. Man Choir is an outlet for those musical students who want to “just sing.”“Man Choir taught me that singing doesn’t always have to be formal.It’s a lot more fun when it’s a laid back environment and almost everyone has past musical experience so we know what we’re doing,”Jain said. “It is one of my favorite days of the week. I spend lunch singing with my friends and we do fun songs that you wouldn’t usually see in a classical choir.”egraham@thesamohi.com