Concert Report for The Tabernacle Choir Hope World Tour
Black Music Scholarship
Song List and Composers
- Great and Glorious: Franz Joseph Hayden
- I Ain’t Got Weary Yet: Negro Spiritual- ARR Courtney Carey
- Wade In The Water: Negro Spiritual- ARR Dr. Kevin Johnson
- Children Go Where I Send Thee: Negro Spiritual- ARR Dr. Kevin Johnson – Rap Ayana Davis
- A Choice To Change The World: Dr. Kevin Johnson
- Songs For The People: Dr. Kevin Johnson- ARR Mack Wilberg
- Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing: American Folk Tune- ARR Mack Wilberg
Introduction
The Tabernacle Choir went on a world tour, and at the conclusion of this event, they performed at the State Farm Arena. This event occurred on Wednesday, September 11th, 2024 7:00 pm EST, while being accompanied by the Spelman and Morehouse college glee clubs. The Spelman and Morehouse glee clubs were led by their director/conductors Dr. Kevin Johnson for Spelman and Dr. David Morrow for Morehouse. Tabernacle had two conductors Mack Wilberg and Ryan Murphy, as well padded orchestra in attendance at this event.
While the arena was not sold out, the seats in the audience were very full, seeming like it was almost at capacity. Each choir had its own attire for this event, but all attire was formal wear and in unison with their choir mates. The lighting in the arena was low but with different spotlights available for the singers. The acoustics of the building were very full, and the sound of the music was able to carry to every part of the arena. This event was set to last from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm and did take up the whole allocated time.
Song Evaluation
Morehouse
Great and Glorious: This song was originally by Franz Joseph Hayden, but here Morehouse gave their rendition of it. The song is of the sacred musical section, and in Morehouse’s adaptation, it incorporates a lot of harmonies. I thought the harmonies were executed really well, especially the higher notes considering it is an all-male glee club. The piano during this song also sounds very similar to an organ. I found that unique and a nice addition to the song.
I Ain’t Got Weary Yet: This traditional scared negro spiritual done by Morehouse begins with an extremely soulful solo while the other singers create a harmony that contrasts against his singing. This song incorporates a call-and-response singing method that is done between two of the vocal sections which I enjoyed. The audience also seemed to enjoy this song, especially the solo.
Spelman
Wade In The Water: Wade in the water is a commonly known negro spiritual among both the Black community and the world. This song was used by slaves to warn them about how to escape slavery with their lives, and that God will be with them as they do. Spelman begins this song with a solo that engages in a swinging timbre. This performance of Wade in the water is much faster than the original song and gives more energy. This energy from the choir is also fed by Dr. Johnson as he engages will the singers. I feel this action makes the singers more engaged in the song and creates a more impactful performance.
Children Go Where I Send Thee: The beginning of this performance starts with a Spelman student playing what seems to be a djembe, a traditional African drum. The reason for this is, this song is yet another negro spiritual that adapted to Spelman’s repertoire. This song included choreography from the singers and even a rap solo. The rap was unexpected but a very cool addition to the song.
A Choice To Change The World: This original Spelman song by Dr. Kevin Johnson has been a testimony to the power our actions of change have. Spelman performs this song at almost every glee club event they hold, likely because it is such a popular hit with the choir members, conductors, and audience members everywhere. This song has multiple soloists which I like because it allows multiple people to have the chance to show out. The previously mentioned Spelman student is now playing a snare drum, showcasing Spelman women’s many talents. Something I noticed in this song was the tone shift when the struggles around the world are being named, and I felt it was very appropriate for the topic given. The tone then shifts again and has a lot more energy, and the glee club feeds off of Dr. Johnsons eccentric conducting style. The audience loved this song, as did I and they received a standing ovation for it.
Joint Choir
Songs For The People: This song created by Dr. Johnson had Spelman Glee Club, Morehouse Glee Club, and the Tabernacle Choir performing together while Dr. Johnson and Mack Wilberg played the piano together. The 3 choirs were able to blend beautifully while remaining on tempo with the accompaniment. Some parts of the song used call-and-response between the men and women of all choirs. I don’t believe this song could have been executed better.
Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing: This song is an original American Folk Song, but in my opinion, it doesn’t sound like folk music. This song with all of the choirs and musical instruments including flutes, violins, and violas, sounded very whimsical. I did enjoy the song though, I thought it sounded like something that would be played for a Disney princess.
Concert Evaluation
The audience seemed very engaged in the performance from standing ovations to dancing along in their seats. The 4 people from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints also seemed to keep the audience’s attention. They did well announcing what would happen next in the program while personally sharing their connections to the choir. I liked that the background screen behind the singers changed depending on the song and the feeling it was intended to evoke in the audience.
In all of the singing groups, during the closeups, all members looked fully engaged in the music including singers, orchestra members, and conductors. Something I found funny was that in the program online and as one of the Church members explained the upcoming songs we would hear from Morehouse, he said “African American” spirituals instead of negro spirituals which I found funny. I personally do think that the Church members’ speeches were kind of long and at times repetitive and unnecessary to the music. I believe the program would have gone more swiftly if it had more music and less talking. Finally, I thought the final song that was sung, “Till We Meet Again” from the Tabernacle choir to the Spelman and Morehouse Glee Clubs was amazing and a good show of faith.
Conclusion
Overall, the concert was a beautiful show of unity and talent. My favorite songs from the concert were I Ain’t Got Weary Yet, A Choice To Change The World, and Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing. Watching these groups come together to create music was amazing and I encourage anyone who did not have the opportunity to witness it to watch the video of this powerful concert.
One Response
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