The Women’s Glee Club fall concert featured performances from Women’s Glee, the South Lyon High School Varsity Choir, and Midnight Blue. Although this concert seemed to take attention away from just voices, adding a lot of instrumental work, the concert consisted of empowering messages for women, students, and those affected by the Holocaust.
My favorite song was the Women’s Glee Club’s second performance. Called “A Jubliant Song” by Norman Dello Joio, it represented a complex and versatile method of using an entire choir. Each segment of the choir was singing almost the entire time, forming intense harmonies and crescendos. The pianist, Bobby Levinger, was also amazing, showcasing his talent with every note. After speaking with my friend in the choir, I discovered that “A Jubliant Song” was ridiculously complicated to perform, but it stood out to me as the most unique and memorable number of the night.
After “A Jubliant Song,” the Women’s Glee Club performed “Reflections from Yad Vashem,” by Daniel Hall. The song was a juxtaposition of references to the Book of Genesis, prose by Hall, and names of children who were victims of the Holocaust. It was a haunting tune, using a lot of minor key along with a beautiful viola performance by Samuel Koeppe.
Women’s Glee Club then left the stage, making room for the South Lyon High School Varsity Choir. While they were less in number than Women’s Glee, their sound was still resonant and strong. For their last performance, “Bring Me Little Water, Silvy,” all the singers stepped down from the bleachers to form a line across the lip of the stage. They made their own percussion by clapping and stomping, which was a welcome addition to the relatively textbook glee performance.
After intermission, Midnight Blue sang “Praying” by Kesha, a song meant to serve as a message of empowerment for anyone going through hard times. After that they performed “I Want You Back” by the Jackson 5. Both rather contemporary pieces provided diversity to the concert, allowing for some of the glee singers without solos in the large performance to get their voices heard.
Women’s Glee then retook the stage. For their last two songs, they invited any glee alumni to join them in singing the famous “Yellow and Blue” as well as “Varsity Victors.” As a senior, those were probably my second favorite performances, as they always make me proud to be a student here.
Overall, the fall concert was a great way to celebrate 125 years. I appreciate that the glee club invites high school choirs and alumni to join them each year. Additionally, the use of talented musicians really adds to the performances, although I wish some songs simply focused on the voices of the glee club members.
