Choral showcase well attended

Singers at the University of South Dakota choral showcase Oct. 19 performed a wide array of pieces for an audience of about 500 in preparation for the rest of the year’s shows.

Three separate choirs performed pieces tailored to their group, said Director of Choral Activities David Holdhusen.

“I think about how the music is going to display the choirs’ strength,” he said.

While all three choirs performed music primarily from the 20th Century, pieces varied. The Men’s and Women’s Choir sang big, operatic pieces to accentuate their size and volume.

“It’s always exciting to do the first concert,” Holdhusen said. “It’s a chance to show the growth in the number and quality from year to year.”

Concert Choir also performed similar pieces and ended with a spiritual, gospel song. The group is preparing for a spring concert where they will be combining with the Sioux City Symphony.

Chamber Singers performed seven pieces with more intonation to showcase their ability to harmonize and tone their voices, said Holdhusen. Chambers is preparing for a tour through the Midwest during spring break, where they will be performing the pieces they develop and perform throughout the year at USD.

Junior Chamber Choir member Becca Lunstrum said the showcase was very successful and that it was an educational experience for everyone.

“It was a very rewarding experience being able to work toward all these musical goals and be able to present them in a really great way to a lot of people,” she said.

Lunstrum, a horn performance major, is in the choir for enjoyment and said she still enjoys the thrill of the first show.

“The first concert is always kind of scary because you don’t know exactly what’s going to happen, but it all came together really well,” she said.

Senior Brady Ketelsen participates in all three groups and also conducted, “City Called Heaven.”

“It was a piece that I grew really attached to,” he said.

Ketelsen also said it is exciting to be part of the music department at a time when the choral groups are performing so well that students who are not music majors were asking to join.

“We’re headed in a really good direction. The audience is bigger than it’s ever been,” Ketelsen said.

Holdhusen said the audience was very receptive and Aalfs Auditorium, where the showcase took place, was packed.

“The audience was very enthusiastic,” he said. “All the choirs come together and perform for an audience, which is a great opportunity for the parents, community, students and faculty to really hear what we’re doing.”

Reach reporter Anna Burleson at [email protected]