NWU Choirs Hit all the Right Notes

On Nov. 6th, at 3 p.m., the Nebraska Wesleyan University Women's Choir, Men's Glee Club and Touch of Class Jazz Choir gave their first concert of the year in O'Donnell Auditorium. The Women's Choir is an all-female ensemble directed by Dr. Janene Sheldon, while the Men's Glee Club, an all-male ensemble, is directed by Mr. Boyd Bacon. The NWU Touch of Class Jazz Choir, also directed by Mr. Bacon, is a small ensemble that  requires students to audition in order to become a member.

 The Women's Choir opened the concert with a song called "Hymn to the Night," followed by a piece entitled, "I'm a Wandering Pilgrim." The women's choir was able to showcase a few soloists, one them being Freshman Alex Jegeris.

To close their portion of the concert the Women's Choir sang a stunning song titled "My Romance" which tells the audience that not every girl needs a glimmering castle on a hill or a knight in shining armor for their "fairytale" romance to come true, all they need is that one special man.

Men's Glee took the stage next, opening with a soft, light and peaceful "This Little Light of Mine" adaptation. 

Their next piece, as the director of the ensemble Boyd Bacon announced to the audience, was from the WWII Holocaust poetry and presented the message that even when God is silent people can still hold hope and faith in life and in the future. This piece was filled with tight musical dissonance, yet peaceful harmonies at the same time, perfectly conveying the message of the song to the audience. 

On the lighter, comical side, the Men's Glee performed "Coffee (In a Cardboard Cup), singing about everything that is wrong with our world. The fast-paced need to have everything when we need at the touch of our finger tips, how instead of sitting down and enjoying a nice cup of coffee and talking with friends or family about our days, we rush around and order our coffee and don't even bother to ask anyone how their day was. 

Throughout this song, the members of Men's Glee would randomly shout out brands of coffee ("Mocha Cappuccino Non-Fat"), tell jokes ("Why does this coffee taste like dirt?" reply – "Cause it was just ‘ground' this morning!"), suggesting the message that our society is too fast-paced to the audience in a humorous manner. 

Last, but certainly not least, was the NWU Touch of Class Jazz Choir, also directed by Boyd Bacon. Opening with a song called "Lullaby of Birdland" featuring soloist Junior Kelsey Owens, with a mainly centered scat-theme, which is the use of syllables through improv in jazz music.

Taking the audience from Birdland into the next song, "Nardis," that transformed the auditorium into what would seem a small jazz café, due to its peaceful relaxing ebb and flow of rhythms and sound.  

A duet was also performed, which later transfers to the entire ensemble singing heart-wrenching harmonies about the meaning of our todays, and the uncertainty of our tomorrows.