The Christ Chapel Choir of Hillsdale performed a requiem of sacred music in honor of All Souls’ Day on Nov. 2.
Hundreds of audience members gathered in Christ Chapel to listen to the Hillsdale Chapel Choir’s first concert. The concert consisted of a compilation of sacred music and concluded with “Requiem” by Gabriel Fauré.
“The students have been working really hard to overcome some of the difficulties of this piece,” said Katherine Rick, adjunct instructor of music and the choir’s accompanist. “While it is beautiful and well-known all over the world, it is certainly challenging.”
The choir dedicated hours of rehearsal to perfecting the performance, sophomore Madeline Scheve said.
“We’ve been working really hard, and we’ve had a lot of extra rehearsals,” Scheve said. “Everyone is so invested in this concert, more than any other concert I’ve ever been a part of. You can tell that everybody really cares, because whenever anybody makes a mistake, they always correct themselves right away.”
The requiem features seven parts. According to Timothy McDonnell, director of sacred music, who conducted the concert, the themes of the requiem are very important to All Souls’ Day.
“The requiem is an ancient text, which is taken completely from the liturgy of the medieval Mass for the dead, so, the premise is really to reflect on mortality,” McDonnell said. “Truly, I find that some of the most exciting music that’s ever been written is about these concepts. When thinking of great music, people often consider love songs, but there is also a lot of powerful music about these central aspects of human existence, like death and suffering.”
Junior Stephen Conner, the baritone soloist for the concert, said the music also included a theme of light.
“I really like these pieces because they just feel like a wave of light,” Conner said. “The words are very significant because they are so easy to connect to. Everybody has had family members who have gone on at some point.”
Conner said the choir worked to ensure that every note was beautiful and rich, and the experience of singing each song as a choir was incredible.
“It’s almost like biting into a really good piece of chocolate when you’re singing, because the vowels and the notes are so nice,” Conner said. “It’s such a fun experience.”
According to Rick, the setting of the concert complimented the beauty of the music. The vaulted ceilings and the grandeur of Hillsdale’s Christ Chapel allowed the audience to fully engage with the music.
“The chapel’s beauty and acoustics were a perfect fit for the beautiful and melodic requiem,” Rick said. “The students have really sunk their teeth into the music. They put on a wonderful performance that was well-worth attending.”
At the end of the concert, the audience rose to a standing ovation. The members of the choir exchanged congratulatory glances as the audience continued to applaud for several minutes.
Freshman Noah LoBue said he was excited that the audience appreciated the music on such an important religious day. According to LoBue, the sacred music glorified God on the perfect occasion.
“The music was perfect for All Souls Day,” LeBue said. “I’m really excited that people saw the chapel choir perform, because the music was sacred and we lifted it all up to the glory of God.”
