Senior Jack Golden said he couldn’t be happier about his first experience as a concertmaster with the Hillsdale College Symphony Orchestra. 

The Hillsdale College choir, chamber choir, and orchestra performed their final show of the semester in Christ Chapel on Nov. 19. 

Both choirs and the orchestra performed for a full house. Late afternoon light streamed through the westward windows of the chapel, and Christmas greenery created a festive atmosphere. 

The chamber choir performed five pieces for the audience, ranging from more sacred music such as the “Magnificat” and “Nunc Dimittis” by Andrew Maxfield to the spiritual “I Got a Key” arranged by Joni Jensen. 

Professor of Music, Choirs, and Orchestra James Holleman conducted the chamber choir in the beginning. Associate Professor of Music Derek Stauff joined the choir on the organ for part of the “Magnificat” and “Nunc Dimittis.”  

“‘The Magnificat’ and the ‘Nunc’ were from our project in October where we did this commissioned world premiere of our Evensong Service,” Holleman said. “This was a second opportunity to perform that music because we worked so hard on it.”

As to the timing of the performance, Holleman wanted to be mindful of students’ other commitments. 

“I wanted each of the three groups to have enough substance for an end of the semester concert,” Holleman said. “Typically we do two concerts at the end of the semester, one for the orchestra and one for the choirs, but with only one week after Thanksgiving before finals, I’ve just been learning that to do a concert while people are getting ready for finals is just really stressful for the students.” 

The college choir performed “The Seed is in the Ground,” another one of Maxfield’s works, and John Rutter’s “Gloria.”

Sophomore Caitlin Filep, who had a solo during the “Gloria,” was happy with the performance the college choir gave with the orchestra. 

“I loved doing the ‘Gloria,’” Filep said. “There’s a really beautiful brass refrain in the second piece. The brass predict a lot of the musical themes that the choir is about to sing, and they kind of echo what’s been done before in the piece, so that they just hold it all together.” 

Golden viewed the concert as a testament to the orchestra’s talent and commitment. 

“I think we had seven rehearsals to prepare this concert, totaling about 13 hours of ensemble time before the concert,” Golden said. “That said, I think we were more than ready. I think this year’s Hillsdale College Symphony is the best one I’ve played with, and I don’t say that lightly.” 

Filep also stated how impressed she was with the freshmen members’ talent. 

“I think that the chamber choir is flourishing perhaps in a way that it may not have before,” Filep said. “Especially with the new blood I’m really appreciative of the sheer enthusiasm, focus, and dedication that the freshmen have brought to the music department.”

In addition to the choral pieces performed, the orchestra played Carl Maria Von Weber’s “Overture to Der Freischutz” and Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 1 in C major, op. 21.” 

Golden said his favorite piece to perform was the Beethoven symphony.

“As an orchestra, we were really able to lock in that technique and get the kind of sound that Beethoven would have intended, which is always a challenge in a space like the chapel,” Golden said. “It’s a beautiful venue for a concert, but with an average echo of 4.5 seconds, precise articulation requires unusually high levels of focus.”

For the last section of the performance, both choirs and the orchestra came together to perform “A Musicological Journey Through the Twelve Days of Christmas,” arranged by Craig Courtney. Each day of Christmas had an accompanying orchestral piece from a famous composer. 

For the Twelfth Day of Christmas, the orchestra played John Philip Sousa’s “Star and Stripes Forever.” The audience began to clap, following Holleman’s lead. 

“I’m the one who just turned to the audience and encouraged them to start clapping,” Holleman said. “The orchestra wasn’t expecting it, I wasn’t expecting it, it was just a spur of the moment decision.” 

“Let’s just say the clapping was very unexpected,” Filep said. “However, we were really appreciative that the audience was excited about the piece.” 

Golden was a bit worried that the clapping would throw off the orchestra’s tempo. 

“The clapping was fun, but that’s always a little dangerous for an orchestra because sometimes the audience has a different idea of what tempo is, and that conflict can sometimes make it hard to hold together,” Golden said. 

With the concert finished, both choirs and the orchestra begin working towards next semester’s pieces. 

“I think it’s technically a secret at this point, but there’s something really big coming down the pipe for May that you won’t want to miss,” Golden said.