SpelHouse and Tabernacle Choir Review
Introduction
On September 11, 2024, at 7:00, the Mormon Tabernacle choir joined the Spelman and Morehouse Glee Club to perform at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta Georgia. During the concert, they sang a mix of Gospel and Negro Spirituals conducted by Kevin Johnson, Dr. David Morrow, and Ryan Murphy. The concert began at 7:00 and ended at 9:00. The Spelman and Morehouse Glee Clube wore formal black attire, while the Mormon Tabernacle choir wore Blue formal attire. The performance was in a large arena with the Tabernacle choir layered on risers behind Spelman and Morehouse.
Description
The Mormon Tabernacle choir presented a powerful opening song “Alleluia Fanfare/ Praise to the Lord Almighty.” The choir incorporated bells throughout the song which beautifully grasped the audience’s attention. They followed this melody with the song, “With joyful voices ringing,” displaying an uplifting tone and blissful voices. They continue by playing several pieces such as, “How Excellent is Thy Name and Alleluia,” “Alleluia from Psalms 150,” “Ah el novio no quiero dinero,” “Gamelan,” “Music Everywhere,” and “In the garden. The piece that mostly stood out to me was “Ah el novio no quiero dinero.” Since the choir consists of Mormons, I didn’t expect them to add songs that are atypical of their cultural and language norm.
The Morehouse Glee Club began with the piece “To God Be The Glory.” During this Negro Spiritual, they had layers of harmonization ultimately adding to the skill set and entertainment of the performance. Their second and last ensemble was to the selection “I Ain’t Got Weary Yet.” This specific piece started with a dynamic solo from one of the Morehouse students, commanding the audience’s attention. The rest of the Glee Club then joined in on this deep Negro Spiritual. This selection was my favorite out of the two due to the soulful feel and deep tones throughout. The song has a beautiful contrast between the solo and group melody that really stood out to me.
The Spelman College Glee Club beautifully begins by singing their rendition of “Wade in the Water.” Like Morehouse this selection begins with a strong solo, leading into group harmony. During the performance the soloist hits a beautiful opera-like note while the choir continues to sing, overall creating a breathtaking performance. They continue with “Children Go Where I Send Thee.” This piece begins with a student playing the drums to an upbeat tempo and the choir quickly rocking side to side. During, they incorporate snaps, claps, raps, and other theatrical actions making this the most entertaining selection by far. Having the rap included elevated the performance by including other cultural aspects into the song. Lastly, they performed the classic, “A Choice to Change The World.” This selection had multiple solos and a motivation, uplifting spirit.
Evaluation
I enjoyed the first song with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, however, I wish the beginning would’ve started with everyone together so it could be one big production to start. Also, I found the Tabernacle choir a little lackluster in the beginning since they sang for the first 5o minutes as one choir. I think they could’ve elevated the performance with more soul and choreography with their lyrics. Moreover, I didn’t initially enjoy Morehouse’s first selection however they caught my eye with the second song since it was very soulful and the soloist was good. Lastly, I think Spelman was entertaining throughout their entire performance. Their projection, presence, and performance were an all-around ten for me. There wasn’t a single boring moment.
Conclusion
Overall, all ensembles had beautiful performances with captivating highlights in each. I enjoyed the active screen changing throughout the shift of music. For me, the most entertaining performances incorporated other elements such as choreography and layers of harmony that heightened the experience as an audience member.
2 Responses
Excellent post! I love the color and creativity in real estate. You utilized the space in your post really well, and I appreciate the amount of detail included in each section. Well done!
This post was well written and displayed, truly encapsulating every aspect of the performance! I also found Spelman Glee Club’s performance to be the most engaging, though I enjoyed the solo by Morehouse Glee Club as well. I also found it interesting the way you laid out the breakdown of each group’s performance, from the Tabernacle Choir to Morehouse Glee Club, to Spelman Glee Club, and how the active involvement in the performances seemed to increase.