On Nov. 24, Hillsdale College’s Symphony Orchestra, College Choir, and Chamber Choir performed together for the first time to a packed audience at Christ Chapel.
According to Music Director James Holleman, this performance was the first time that all 192 musicians could fit together on one stage.
“Music is alive and well in the liberal arts at Hillsdale College,” he said.
The program featured Francis Poulenc’s “Gloria”, performed in six parts by the College Choir and Symphony Orchestra. Sopranos Rebecca Henreckson and Christa Green, seniors, and Julia Salloum, junior, were highlighted throughout the piece.
The Chamber Choir continued the theme with pieces such as “Psalm 42” and “Ave Maria.” The College Choir returned with more contemporary pieces: “Christ the Appletree” and “What Wondrous Love.”
The program concluded with Vaughan Williams’ “Fantasia on Christmas Carols,” performed by the College Choir and Symphony Orchestra. Tenors Josiah Leinbach, senior, and Gabriel Kramer and Jonathan Meckel, juniors, performed solos during the piece as well.
Soprano Jolene Estruth, junior, said that performing in the Chapel was both exciting and challenging.
“This concert was the choir’s first time singing with the full orchestra, and the acoustics are much grander in Christ Chapel — the sound is much larger and fuller,” she said. “Adjusting to the difference in the reverberation to get our timing clean took some work. We’ve been practicing these pieces for over a month.”
Estruth said that her favorite song to perform was Robert Scholz’s “What Wondrous Love is This?”
“I think it was the most beautiful piece that we performed,” she said. “It’s truly reflective of the Savior’s heart.”
The students rounded off the performance with an encore consisting of a “Battle of the Bells” between the choir and orchestra. The orchestra performed a rendition of “Carol of the Bells,” and the choir followed suit with its own version of the classic Christmas piece.
Sophomore Victoria Nuñez, a violinist in the Symphony Orchestra, said she thought the orchestra was victorious, but barely.
“I think the orchestra won the ‘Battle of the Bells’ by sheer noise and enthusiasm, but the choir’s rendition was definitely more iconic,” she said.
Nuñez said the musicians brought festive energy to their performance.
“It was fun to play sacred Christmas music in the chapel with a whole body of voices, and I came away feeling ready for Christmas break,” she said. “My favorite piece was Poulenc’s ‘Gloria.’ It’s a little bit modern and a little bit traditional, which made it rewarding to explore musically.”
Christmas music and Christ Chapel is a winning combination. This concert may have been the first time Hillsdale’s musicians performed together on one stage, but it certainly won’t be the last.