This past fall we welcomed 20 new girls to the chorus along with more talent than we knew what to do with! We were delighted to sing alongside the University Singers, Chamber Singers, and Virginia Glee Club at the annual Family Weekend concert in October. We sang Fjellheim’s Night Yoik with esteemed accompanist John D’earth. We even received an email from the composer himself about how much he enjoyed our rendition of his piece! In addition, we sang an arrangement by our own KaeRenae, a Beatles Medley—needless to say the crowd loved it. In December we hosted our 30th annual candlelight concerts in the U.Va. chapel. Our featured piece was Holst’s Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda, accompanied by harp. However, my personal favorite part of all of our candlelight concerts is the audience sing-along; not only is it great to sing festive Christmas carols, but we are allowed the rare opportunity to hear the male voice!
As a third year, this is my fourth semester with VWC. Every concert, to me, is an incredible experience. It is a wonderful opportunity for each of us, as diverse as we are, to engage in something larger than ourselves. After singing Avila by the Wailin’ Jennys at the Family Weekend Concert in honor of Hannah Graham, we were shocked when we were asked to sing at her funeral service in Fairfax, VA. I, like all of the girls, was unbelievably humbled. It is moments such as these that I know that music can truly act as a unifying force. Amid the chaos and unease last semester, I am so lucky to be grounded in this talented, loving group of women and to have the opportunity to share the healing power of music with our community.
We are so incredibly excited for our 40th anniversary concert this semester on Saturday, April 11th at 4:00pm. We are already hard at work preparing to showcase a beautiful concert–it is sure to be amid a weekend that can’t be missed. Thank you for your continued support of VWC, and I hope to see you in April so you can celebrate with us!
Gloria Marino