Drury
Oh, the monotonousness! Holiday programs get so old so quick every winter. It’s hard to stomach more than one children’s choir or Andy Williams special in just one season. But, ALAS!, each year holds one concert that consistently breathes fresh life and people are starting to notice.
Drury’s annual Christmas Vespers concert is what the director of DU’s music program, Dr. Allin Sorenson, calls a “coming together of a community of musicians.” Sunday’s concert hosted a packed house in its move back to Stone Chapel. A series of renovations to the historic site allowed the return which was so well received many latecomers got turned away when standing room crowds lined even the stairwells. “I wonder how much of that was because we went back to chapel. When the news hit, people started coming back out of the woodwork. It’s such a great space for (Vespers).”
The concert has a long-running tradition, but records can’t keep up historically. Sorenson said he’s unsure of how long it’s run, but can confirm there have been at least years of Vespers. Maybe “show” isn’t appropriate for what took place on Dec. 6. That term may better suit other regional holiday music programs, most of which perform a play or a rendition of “Messiah” with no participation. Part of Vespers’ charm is the give-and-take. Viewers aren’t merely that. “People get to participate. They get to sing carols. We perform music people like and is familiar.”
There are 81 singers included among three choral groups (Concert Choir – ensemble open to all Drury students; Drury Singers – a select group which travels, including yearly world tours; Chamber Choir – a 12-member group auditioned from Singers), all of which keep very flexible, as they added music just days before. One member of Singers heard the Concert Choir was performing a rendition of “Carol of the Bells” and wanted to join. “It was a last-minute addition, something everybody knows and is a lot of fun for both the performers and the audience.” Vespers ran just more than an hour and closed with the floor-level crowd surrounded by all singers to a classic medley of “Night of Silence” into “Silent Night” – in which everybody joined.
“(Vespers) is something we can give to the community that we enjoy as well,” Sorenson said. “It’s really nice to see so many people from the community and Drury get together.” While a great holiday concert can be tough to find, pencil Vespers into your 2010 calendar.
Come back to this post, as an MP3 from Sunday’s performance should be here in the next couple days. (nudge, nudge Doc)
