UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Oriana Singers and University Choir will virtually present their combined fall concert at 2 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 15. The Oriana Singers will be streaming live from the Worship Hall in the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center, while the University Choir is showcasing their program from several locations around Penn State's University Park campus.
Oriana will being their portion at 2 p.m. and University Choir will follow.
The livestream will be available at this link.
Oriana Singers is an upper voice choir made up of 55 singers from a diverse range of majors across the University. Director Kathryn Hylton joined the Penn State School of Music faculty this fall.
To accommodate the size of the group and safe distancing, Oriana spent much of the semester rehearsing in sectionals and small groups with some students participating remotely, said Hylton.
"These singers have been resilient as they’ve followed safety protocol and rehearsed in eight different locations throughout the semester, including lecture halls, parking decks, open-sided tents, music building rehearsal rooms, open fields, and three different spaces in the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center," Hylton said. "We are very excited to have the opportunity to present this program to our friends, families, and the Penn State community!"
Oriana Singers will begin the concert at 2 p.m. with the following program, live-streamed from the Pasquerilla Worship Hall:
- "Be Like the Bird" — Abbie Betinis (b. 1980)
- "No Time" Traditional Camp Meeting Songs — arr. Susan Brumfield
- "The Storm is Passing Over" — Charles Albert Tindley (1851-1933), arr. Barbara W. Baker
- "The Willow Song" — Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958), arr. W.R. Pasfield
- "Esti Dal" — Zoltán Kodály (1882-1967)
- "Ave Maria" (for double SSAA choir), — Gustav Holst (1874-1934)
The pianist for “No Time” and “The Storm is Passing Over” will be Rachel Flicker, also an alto member of Oriana.
The University Choir is a mixed choral ensemble that includes students from colleges and departments across University Park. The choir began the semester rehearsing outside under a tent, then relocated to Schwab Auditorium, which accommodated the singers at 10-foot distancing.
"We have been rehearsing and recording one piece per week to prepare a pre-recorded broadcast of our music," said Bryan Nichols, assistant professor of music and University Choir conductor. "It’s been a challenging semester, but we’ve run ‘full-steam ahead,' and I’m really proud of what the students have accomplished."
The University Choir's portion of the program will be presented from locations across the University Park campus and will include:
- "Universi, qui te expectant" — Johann Michael Haydn
- "Only in Sleep" — Eriks Esenvalds; soloist Abigail Carney
- "And So It Goes" — Billy Joel, arr. Bob Chilcott; soloist Vincent Mariani
- "Dirait-On" — Morten Lauridsen
- "Let Their Celestial Concerts" — George Frideric Handel
I-Lin "Annie" Tsai is the University Choir accompanist; Douglas McCall is the assistant conductor.