BETHANY CLANCY
Staff Writer
On Sunday afternoon in Rosch Recital Hall, many gathered for the two and a half hour performance of the Fredonia Chamber Singers Alumni Concert.
“This is really weird. I have no idea what is going to come out vocal wise, but I hope everyone enjoys it,” said Donald P. Lang as he started the concert. He has worked with the Fredonia Chamber Singers for more than 30 years. Together they have traveled and performed their diverse music selections around the world. They were also the first choral ensemble to be invited to sing at the International Guitar Festival in Atlanta. Lang kept getting choked up when talking about spending 36 years with this group.
To show all of the generations involved in the Fredonia Chamber Singers, the Choir Chamber of the 2020 graduating class performed some songs with the alumni group. Lang said that when going through music for this performance, he wanted to do them all and that it was hard for him to pick through the five boxes he had.
The stage was very full when all members of the alumni chamber got situated, and their performance started off with “Romancero Gitano.” Along with the full stage came a very full sound, which only increased for “Les Chanson des Roses,” when the current chamber singers and the women’s choir joined the alumni.
“Shed No Tear” was the next piece the group performed. This one was a recommendation from a friend of Lang, and they have been performing it ever since. There was an alto/male singer superiority during this piece, but it evened out throughout the rest of the concert.
Right before the intermission, the group lightened the mood with “Country Dances” arranged by Ward Swingle. Members of the choir were eased and even danced around a bit. It gave the audience a break from the sad, solemn themes done in the songs before. It incorporated hidden songs that many learned as children, like “Yankee Doodle.”
After the intermission, they started right off with another light and airy song, titled “The Tragedy of MacBeth.” It got a few laughs when the line “This is what happens when you listen to three witches and your wife!” popped up. Lang arranged “Lullabies and Night Songs Set II,” which he explained are an arrangement of songs to get children ready for bed after their day.
In between each song, Lang told stories of their history, their travels in different countries and how much of an impact they left on the countries they visited. “The singers are wonderful ambassadors for your college, your town and your country,” representatives in Great Britain said. They also have visited and performed in Israel and Jamaica. In total, they have performed about 1,000 concerts in New York state alone.
There was a lot of sentiment and reminiscing throughout the event. The choir and Lang conversed about how many chamber couples there were and which ones got married, including the conductor himself with a member he was in the choir with.
To finish the afternoon off, the alumni members performed an original song written and composed by one of its members.
“I have visited a good amount of SUNY schools, and this was the only one really with such a strong love for their alumni,” Ryan Rook, a guest visiting the school, had mentioned after seeing this performance.
Caitlin Sion, a criminal justice major, mentioned how much she loves the alumni representation here.
“I know that when I graduate, I’m going to come back and visit, talk to the younger students, just like the alumni did for me,” she said.