‘Choral Collage’ celebrates fall semester with ETSU choirs

On Oct. 18, ETSU choirs shuffled onto the risers to fill Munsey Memorial United Methodist Church with sounds of music for their “Choral Collage” event.

The night featured performances from BucsWorth, East Tennessee Belles, ETSU Chorale and Greyscale. One of the first songs was “Der Gandelfahrer,” composed by Franz Schubert.

“You will have to picture yourself in a gondolier in Venice in a peaceful, beautiful evening hearing the bells of San Marco in the distance and just enjoying the beautiful stillness of the evening,” said Kathryn May, the conductor for the East Tennessee Belles previewing BucsWorth’s performance.

Greyscale brought a more contemporary vibe with their a capella rendition of Kesha Sebert’s “Rainbow” from her album released in 2017. Audiences might have also recognized parts of Walt Whiman’s “Song of Myself” poem as the East Tennessee Belles sang “I Celebrate Myself.”

The music dealt with themes of empowerment, spirituality and reflection. BucsWorth’s “The Trumpet Sounds Within-a My Soul,” arranged by Ian David Coleman, focused on the hardships of slavery. It featured melodies from contrasting spirituals “Steal Away” and “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.”

“Ian David Coleman is one of the remaining scholars of African-American music, incredible composer in his own right,” BucsWorth Director Alan Stevens said. “On the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, he was asked to write a piece to celebrate that incredible moment in history. This piece looks back especially at the legacy of slavery.”

The night concluded with all the choirs combining to perform “Indodana,” a traditional South African song. Students lined the sanctuary perimeter as the beat of the drums pulsed through the church.

“I think my favorite part was the last piece,” said ETSU Chorale member Autumn Brockleman. “It included all the choirs and gave a sense of family, and we all bonded.”

“Amid the Winter’s Snow” will be the next choral concert on Dec. 7, with shows at 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at Munsey Memorial United Methodist Church. A limited number of tickets are available for each concert. Visit etsu.edu/music to purchase tickets or call 423-439-4276.