Pre-Halloween festivities can be heard just beyond the Dorsky’s doors.
On Tuesday Oct. 22 at 7 p.m., the “Music in the Museum” concert this fall semester will feature the Concert Choir and Chamber Singers, and students from the Vocal Jazz Program.
Students in the Vocal Jazz Program have decided that this year’s program will be centered around Halloween.
Professor Teri Roiger, a jazz specialist and vocal coach in the school’s jazz program, will showcase her students’ talent through “spooky” jazz music.
Some songs that will be performed by the students in the Vocal Jazz Program include Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition,” Robert Lunn’s “Headless Horseman” and Cy Coleman’s “Witchcraft.”
Danielle Roberts, third-year vocal jazz studies major and one of the vocalists in the Vocal Jazz Program, originally came up with the idea of having a Halloween-themed concert.
Roberts said she is looking forward to this year’s performance and has been practicing her song diligently with Roiger during their weekly voice lessons.
“It has been really fun to work on a Halloween song because I love Halloween, and this could not be any more perfect for me,” Roberts said. “It is a great pleasure to work with Teri, and it makes our time together even more special when we can have a fun topic to play around with.”
Roberts said she even suggested wearing a Halloween costume onstage, but is not sure how the faculty would feel about it. The program will also feature performances by the Chamber Singers, a 12-person group consisting of only women, and the Concert Choir, a 40 voice ensemble that consists of both men and women.
Both groups are courses in the Music Department and practice together three hours per week.
Professor Dr. Edward Lundergarden, director of choral activities and conductor of the Concert Choir and Chamber Singers, said one of the main goals of the program is to present choral and vocal music from a wide span of styles and periods.
The program includes “Sacred Music from the Renaissance by Palestrina and Lasso; settings of twentieth-century poetry of E. E. Cummings, Stephen Vincent Benet and Robert Frost,” Lundergan said.
Roiger said performances like these are a form of establishing community within the school.
The singers who participate in the program are able to perform in front of their friends and family members, and also have the opportunity to show off their talents.
“It gives them a sense of accomplishment, as well as a sense of community. The communication that happens in a performance is essential for growth and inspiration,” Roiger said.
Roiger also said having a concert to prepare for gives her students a set goal to work toward. It also helps that instead of having only individual lessons, the students also have a chance to work as a group.
“It’s always wonderful to have a concert to prepare for,” Roiger said. “It gives the students a focus and a plan. They work very hard on their song selections when they know they have a performance coming up.”