When thirty-four cobalt-blue figures processed onto the steps at the base of Christ Chapel’s altar, a stillness descended upon the crowd. Their voices reverberated against the shadowed sanctuary.
The March 7 performance, titled “Sacred Treasures: Choral Favorites from Evensong,” was one of the last concerts for this year’s class of graduating seniors. It was a compilation of the best pieces performed since the Choral Scholars program began in fall 2022. The concert included selections from Gustav Holst, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, and William Byrd.
Director of Sacred Music Timothy McDonnell said he was looking for quality and variety when he chose the concert’s lineup.
“I chose the music mostly according to contrast,” McDonnell said. “I wanted to have textures changing from piece to piece. Even in the two pieces that we did by the same composer, William Byrd, they were very different versions of his musical personality. I kind of wanted to juxtapose those. So, I was really looking for different styles, textures, and tempos between the pieces.”
McDonnell described the night as beginning with spiritual lullabies. The haunting melodies expressed anguish and longing for God, he said. Senior Choral Scholar Joseph Duncan said the first piece, “By the Waters of Babylon,” was his favorite to sing because of the deep emotion it conveyed.
“It’s a very visceral piece,” Duncan said. “The Israelites are exiled to Babylon and can’t even bring themselves to pray,” Duncan said. “They are just so lost and so distraught from being away from Jerusalem. It was very moving.”
The middle pieces were personal and joyful, according to McDonnell. Focusing on epiphany and communion, the pieces brought a jubilant tone to the concert. The program finished with “Evening Hymn” by Henry Balfour Gardiner, a soulful lullaby invoking God’s peace and protection.
After a standing ovation, the choir sang an encore piece, “They That Go Down to the Sea in Ships.” The piece weaves the lyrics of Psalm 107 with eerie melodies and cyclical repetitions of each line.
Senior Choral Scholar Maria Schmid said she enjoyed the encore specifically because of its message.
“‘They That Go Down to the Sea in Ships’ has been one of my favorites since I sang it for the first time as a sophomore,” Schmid said. “The piece is set to the text of Psalm 107, and the music places the listener into the setting of the psalm in a very vivid way. I love the image of God calming the storm and drawing the sailors to their haven at the end of the piece.”
Duncan and Schmid joined the Choral Scholars program at the start in fall 2023. Some others joined the program at the start of their freshman year.
“The seniors are a very special group because they were the first Choral Scholars that we recruited into the program. They came here and they were Choral Scholars really from the moment they set foot on campus,” McDonnell said.
According to Duncan, the concert was nostalgic, especially because it was during Parents Weekend so many of his old choir friends were in town with their parents.
“I’ve been meeting alumni during Parents Weekend and I keep saying, ‘Hey, we’re singing this song for the concert, remember when we sang that together?’” Duncan said. “It’s bringing back a bunch of memories and a bunch of people, which is really special.”
Schmid said the concert encapsulates all the love and beauty she has encountered in Choral Scholars throughout her time with them.
“Choir has been one of the biggest blessings of my time at Hillsdale, and so far this semester has been a beautiful conclusion to four years of wonderful music and community,” Schmid said. “This concert was very special since we revisited some of the most beautiful pieces we have sung in choir over the past four years. I felt so grateful to be able to share that music with our audience and to look back on all the wonderful memories I have from choir over the years.”
McDonnell said he has formed a very personal connection with the senior class throughout their time in the program.
“I see them five days a week. I probably know them better than any other professor because I spend so much time with them,” McDonnell said. “They are really dear to me and I will miss them a lot.”
The sentiment is shared by the students as well, according to Schmid.
“I think all of us in choir have grown so much as musicians through working with Dr. McDonnell. His attentiveness and expertise have borne so much fruit in the way that we are able to practice and perform such difficult music so beautifully,” Schmid said. “Some of my dearest friendships have grown out of Choral Scholars, and I think that comes out of us truly loving what we do and investing in it so deeply.”
