USD choirs prepare for fall showcase

Each semester, members of the University of South Dakota choir have two major concerts, the first of which is the Fall Choral Showcase held Oct. 20 at 3 p.m. in Aalfs Auditorium.

David Holdhusen, the choir director in charge of the showcase, said all three choirs —men’s and women’s chorus, concert choir and Chamber Singers — will perform. Each choir will perform five or six selections.

While the number of members in Chamber Singers is always set at 32, Holdhusen said concert choir has more than 60. Both are audition groups.

“Class starts, we do auditions that first Monday and Tuesday and the first Wednesday, we get started with our rehearsals. From that point, it’s all building to this concert,” Holdhusen said.

He said the process is in continuous motion, with preparations for their December concert starting when they hand in all the “old” music the day after the Fall Showcase.

The men’s and women’s chorus has 85 members, and is open to anyone, from USD students to faculty and community members. Holdhusen said although he does not have any involved this year, there are occasionally high school singers, too.

Sophomore Sarah Schmidt is involved with three choirs — Chamber Singers, concert choir and is in charge of the jazz choir swing set with fellow student Hannah Lamberts.

She said auditioning for the choirs last year was nerve-wracking as a first-year.

“Coming into the college world, I was a little scared because I didn’t know what was going to happen, but last year, I made Chamber Singers and this year, I joined concert choir to gain experience for my major,” Schmidt said.

Schmidt said she originally planned on being a biology major, but being in a musical her senior year of high school changed her plans.

“After that I was just like, ‘You know what, this is what I want to do,’ and I haven’t changed my mind since,” she said.

This realization led Schmidt to be involved with the upcoming fall concert.

“A lot of people associate choir with the serious, sad legato, but we have some really fun pieces,” Schmidt said.

She said those “fun” pieces will include a selection entitled “Country Dances,” which has over 19 folk songs incorporated in it.

Schmidt said the fall concerts are a way to show off how far they have come over the semester, and a way to reach out to the community so they can enjoy it as much as the choir members have. She said even after Chamber Singers having a reunion concert, she is looking forward to the big crowd at the showcase.

Senior Becca Lunstrum, who is also involved with Chamber Singers, said she got started with music at a young age; singing as soon as she was able to talk, playing piano at around age five, and finally adding french horn at around age 10.

“Both of my parents were music teachers. It’s always been a big part of my life,” Lunstrum said.

She said she coming from the small town of Redfield, S.D. which was a definite change from joining USD’s choir.

Lunstrum said students are required to do some sight-reading, scales and vocal range testing for an audition each year. The auditions lead into being a member and getting to participate in concerts, like the fall showcase, in the USD choir program.

“This vocal department if very strong, and I would probably go as far as, one of the strongest programs, if not the strongest program, in the state,” Lunstrum said.