The Music And Houghton College Choir

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On March 13th the Rochester Oratorio Society and Houghton College Choir performed at the Hochstein Performance Hall in the city of Rochester. It was a predominately vocal concert with an accompanying pianist. The main performance of the evening was the Rochester Oratorio Society’s rendition of Johannes Brahms’ “Ein deutsches Requiem,” in which vocal soloists Elena O’Connor and Benjamin Bloomfield took the front stage, and Linda Boianova joined Kevin Nitsch as a second pair of hands behind the piano. The concert began with an incredibly brief introduction from the president of the Rochester Oratorio Society, after which the society performed a piece that is not listed on the program. After hearing the raw talent the choir displayed in their first performance the crowd praised them, and at this time a representative from the city’s mayor office took the stage and presented the society with a proclamation. The proclamation was on behalf of the city offices and expressed thanks for their 70 years of musical performances and education. Afterwards the society performed Norman Dello Joio’s “A Jubilant Song,” which served as a transition for the Houghton College Choir to take the seats of the men’s choral section. The college choir was approximately a third the size of the society choir, but still managed to perform with a lot of talent. The Houghton College Choir performed Kenneth Jennings’ “The Lord is the Everlasting God” and Larry Farrow’s “Give Me Jesus.” After a quick intermission the Rochester Oratorio Society took to the stage to perform Brahm’s Requiem, which is typically performed with an orchestra, but in their rendition a two person piano served as a replacement. Brahm’s Requiem is in German, making it difficult to understan... ... middle of paper ... ...ts had. I particularly enjoyed Benjamin Bloomfield as baritone soloist; he had such tremendous intensity and power to his voice, and his abilities are something the likes of which I have never heard in person before. I did enjoy Brahm’s Requiem, but would’ve preferred if more of the concert consisted of English pieces, as the language barrier prevented me from understanding exactly what the composer’s intentions were. As a college student, I did not like the price of the concert, costing 20 dollars when purchased online. This concert has introduced me to a new form of live musical entertainment, and I now plan on attending similar performances in the future. I would recommend this concert and any other performance by the Rochester Oratorio Society to anyone interested in experiencing something new. Overall this concert was certainly worth every penny and then some.

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