Glee Concert Report

The Tabernacle choir opened the event first, starting with the song “Alleluia/Praise to the Lord, The Almighty, ” showcasing elements of whimsical tones that reminded me of holiday caroling with its positive timbre that showcased a very light tone throughout the song, emphasizing the sound of the Sopranos and the Mezzos present in the song. Next came “With Joyful Voices Ringing,” which incorporated the same tone throughout the performance due to the percussion of the light chimes and bells they use as well as the high octaves while singing the song. 

After this, the Four hosts Darger, Townson, Meliculo, and Demos talk about the Tabernacle Choir, its mission, and how they have interacted and been involved with this choir, showcasing their long time experience and relationship towards them. 

The choir then followed with the performance of “How Excellent They Name,” “Alleluia,” and then “Alleluia from Psalm 150,” and while beautiful arrangements, I liked the arrangements that were more cultural and diverged from the traditional songs that they would sing, such as “gamelan”, “Ah, El Novio No Querio Dinero,” and “Cindy, which created a diverse pallet of performances. The Next songs “Music Everywhere”, “In the Garden,” and “To God Be the Glory,”  conveyed the choir’s purpose of celebrating unity and love of all people through God. 

 Morehouse College Glee Club followed. They began with the song, “I ain’t got weary yet,” described as an African American spiritual. The students of Morehouse were still, as it was an emotional song. I liked how it started quieter, with just the soloist singing, as they all stared out at the crowd. The soloist reminded me of Odetta, using an operatic voice to carry out the spiritual lyrics. As the song went on, It got dissonant as the soloist repeated, “I ain’t got weary yet,” then became louder and more unified, singing the same lyrics together. The harmony was very satisfying, making the sound almost in an eerie tone as it was deep and soulful, but the keys in which they were singing sounded very sorrowful, even though the lyrics “I ain’t got weary yet,” show perseverance which I found interesting. It believe that this song was my favorite out of their preformance as it showcased their traiblazing and perservance as a College to creat an all black male Glee Club. 

 Spelman was up next, and their rendition of “Wade in the water” was something I had never heard before, and it was beautifully executed. The soloists start very slow, with very soulful vibrato, then the song becomes very fast-paced, and as they sing, it is like a rhythm that emphasizes the syllables like “wa-ter” and “child-ren.”  The song was more the soloist singing, with many runs and high notes, while the pianist was also showing emotion as well. Also really enjoyed “Children Go Where I Send Thee,” it was very upbeat having percussion, the African djembe drum, the women dancing with their shoulders, their hands, etc. There was also a rap song in the middle of the song, which I thought was interesting intersecting modern black music with only African American spirituals. Overall a very lively performance of the song. 

Special Guest Kristen Chenoweth, a well-known Broadway Singer, talk about commemorating and honoring the lost lives due to the attack that occurred on September 11, 2001, dedicating her performance of “Angels Among Us” to them as well as performing “How Great Art Thou” right after.  

Ultimately, when all the choirs came together, it was very beautiful, as it contributed to hope. The Emmy-winning song, “Songs for the People,” one of which was also sung during the civil rights movement, was performed singing with both the Tabernacle Choir and each of the school’s glee clubs, integrated as one to end the performance as a whole. I think that it is beautiful to show that when they come together, they create a beautiful harmony to show the hope that they were singing to become true has manifested.