Student composer to encore at April 24 Spring Choral Concert

Music is all about emotion. And when Nick Powell sits down at the piano at the Spring Choral Concert, he’ll be emotionally pumped.

As the Concert Chorale sings his composition “Honor and Glory,” Powell will be recapturing the emotion he felt when he wrote it.

“I thought I’d like to write a piece that could infuse a person with power,” he said, “that when they heard it, they would really feel the strength behind it. Once I’d written a piece like that, I found it very patriotic, so I decided to dedicate it to our young ladies and gentlemen oversees.”

At last year’s spring concert, the Concert Chorale performed “Dacian Elegy: A Prayer for Fallen Soldiers,” also written by Powell.

Two groups, the Variations Choir and the Concert Chorale, may bring the audience to tears as they perform the evening’s music—a mix of Renaissance, Baroque, classical and contemporary works. The concert will culminate with the spiritual “Old Man River,” said Bill Brewer, associate professor of Music and concert director.

Variations spent March 1-8 in Poland, where the performers sang in such unusual venues as a salt mine and a concentration camp. This concert will be a celebration of the tour and will include a touching PowerPoint show to accompany the music.

Other highlights of the evening: a soprano duet with Concert Chorale members Sara Sewell and Erin Carter and solos by Variations members Jerrod Cate and Jo Bailey. Paul Johnson will be the soloist for “Old Man River,” the grand finale piece that wraps up this year’s concert season.

“This will complete a very successful concert season,” said Brewer. “We’ve had more students enrolled in our ensembles than in previous years.”

The Spring Choral Concert is free and open to the public. The concert is 8 p.m.Thursday, April 24, in the Performing Arts Center.

For more information, contact Bill Brewer at 694-6701.