by: Erin Morrison
It is spring once again which means Parkland is hosting their annual concerts. On March 3 the Parkland Chamber Singers and the Parkland Wind Ensemble performed their “Musical Voyage” which included classic American songs. On March 10 the Orchestra and the Concert Band performed their “Parisian Bonbons” concert. Both were held in the Harold and Jean Miner Theatre on Parkland College’s campus and were free and open to the public.
The Chamber Singers are directed by Franklin Gallo, and the Wind Ensemble is directed by Jonathon Beckett. The choir sang American classics including “Movements from Mass in G,” “Ave Maria,” a folk hymn, “Wondrous Love,” and an African American spiritual, “Wade in the Water.” The Wind Ensemble performed songs after the choir including, “An Irish Suite for Band,” “Ye Banks and Braes O’ Bonnie Doon,” and “Fantasy on a Gaelic Hymnsong.”
The Orchestra is directed by Rodney Mueller, and the Concert band is directed by Larry Stoner. The Orchestra presented selections from “Carmen,” “An American In Paris Suite,” “Orpheus in the Underworld,” and “March Militaire Francaise.” The Concert Band performed the songs “A Southern Hymn,“ “Black and White Rag,” “Polka and Fugue,” and “The Falls.”
These concerts have been well attended, and they are not always in the Parkland Theatre. Melissa Goldman who has been in the choir for five years now told the Prospectus in an interview that the chamber singers have had concerts at Allerton Park in Monticello. Their next concert on May 3 which will include three local high schools and the Parkland Guitar Ensemble will take place at Allerton Park. Goldman said the concerts at Allerton also feature plant sales and garden walks at the rustic mansion. The last concert the choir had was their Christmas concert in December.
Over the last five years Goldman has seen the choir change immensely. “Our choir first started out with six members and we didn’t even have enough members to sing all choir pieces such as soprano, alto, tenor, bass, pieces. Our choir has grown to now almost 20 people and we’re able to do so much more as a group and each rehearsal we can hear improvements,” Goldmand said. “The members in the choir are changing semester to semester due to scheduling or work, etc. but it is still a strong group and has improved vocally over the years. If you choose to join our choir, you are a part of another family and a great group of people that just want to create beautiful music together.”
“…If you choose to join our choir, you are a part of another family and a great group of people that just want to create beautiful music together”
She also said that it is not just music majors or even just Parkland students who are a part of the Chamber Singers. Anyone can be a part of the choir. However, there is a $25 community fee for non-students to join.
The Chamber Singers performed American classic songs this past Sunday, but they regularly perform a wide variety of music. “Frank likes to choose pieces from underrepresented artists,” Goldman said. This includes songs by women and people of color. She also said the director likes to choose at least one spiritual for them to perform including this past concert’s, “Wade in the Water.”
A lot of work goes into a concert. “We rehearse every Tuesday and Thursday 5–6:30 p.m. so we had about 10 rehearsals before our March 1 concert,” Goldman told the Prospectus.
Parkland’s ensembles are full of musically talented directors, students, and community members. It is always a good idea to keep up to date on their upcoming concerts; you will not want to miss them.
