How lucky are we to live in a community
that not only has a lot of opportunities to hear and participate in
choral music, but also has an umbrella organization that helps
coordinate the various groups? The Greater Rochester Choral
Consortium (GRCC) “was organized in 1996 in order to anticipate and
avoid scheduling conflicts among choral groups in the greater
Rochester area,” and its mission is “to enrich the Rochester
community's environment by fostering the choral arts.” One of their
fostering mechanisms is the biannual Taste of Song – an opportunity
for member choruses (this year 19 of the 29 members participated) to
present a 5-minute selection at a free concert in Kodak Hall. It
started at 4pm and ran without intermission or applause (there were
definitely times the audience wanted to acknowledge a group, and the
organizers would do well to instruct people in the art of deaf
clapping in the future) until the end, when Eric Townell, Director of
the Rochester Oratorio Society, led the entire hall in three verses
of the original 1814 The Star Spangled Banner.
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| The exuberant Chorus of the Genesee |
This was my first experience as a Prism
participant. The choruses had to arrive by 1pm for rehearsal (the
parking lots were already filling up), to run through every group's
songs and get the lighting right. To facilitate a seamless transition
between groups, some were positioned on or in front of the stage,
others in the boxes, and still others in the orchestra or balconies.
Luckily, Concentus had a prime spot right in front of the stage, so
we could be seen as well as heard.
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| the very expressive signer during the Rochester Gay Men's Chorus set |
There were only a few empty seats in
Kodak Hall (to be fair, the choruses took up almost 800 of the 2300+
seats) as Tim Forster, Concert Committee Chair, welcomed the audience
on this wintry afternoon; explained the Prism concept – begun here
in the 1970s; and commended the choral groups, who normally “compete
for audience, singers, and funding,” for their collaboration on
this event. He proclaimed that “choral music is alive and well in
Rochester,” before introducing Jamal Rossi, the Eastman School
Music Dean. Rossi reminded us of the inscription on the facade of the
theatre: “For the Enrichment of Community Life,” and said he
“could think of no better place than to be inside this beautiful
theatre and have our lives enriched by the music to be performed by
the 19 choirs.” And then we were off and running!
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| Amadeus Choral Youth Singer: "We Sing for the Children" |
The quality of the program was
variable, as you would expect with such a range of groups. There were
two children's choruses, and one moved the audience to tears with We
Sing for the Children; they had won a GRCC grant to learn to sign
the song, so it was especially moving to hear and watch them sing and
sign, “We sing for the children who have no voice, who have no
choice.” There were several community choruses and lots of small
ensembles, in addition to large choruses like the Eastman-Rochester
Chorus and ROS.
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| Madrigalia in a box |
And of course there were the professional sounds of
Musica Spei and Madrigalia. It was a mostly Caucasian affair, with
the refreshing exception of the Taiwanese Choral Society of
Rochester, and their non-western music that reminded us there are
other tonalities in this world. Concentus' piece, I Thank You God,
went without a hitch, and the concert was over before we knew it. It
was a treat to perform for that many people, and also with that many
other singers – to share the joy of music for an hour and a half,
before heading back out into the cold and snow.
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| Final bow of the music directors |
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