by Sam Seliger
Guilford Gazette Intern
After the Hammond High Chamber Choir finished their set of five songs at the Spring Concert on May 7th, a group of seniors stepped down from the risers. These three singers took the microphone to give a thank you to their choir director, Malcolm Washington. Washington took over the choir program at the beginning of this school year.
The seniors admitted that they were initially unsure about Mr. Washington, because he was different from what they were used to. But, they said, he did such a great job as a teacher, that once they put their faith in him, he was able to lead the choir to new heights. This heartfelt moment was the culmination of a concert that primarily showed off the amazing work that Washington and his students in the choral program have done this year.
The concert opened, however, with two ensembles lead by band director Stephen Dunlap. First was the jazz band, opening with the swing tune “Orange Sherbert,” by Sammy Nestico. They followed it up with an arrangement of saxophonist Sonny Rollins’ cool jazz tune “St. Thomas,” which featured trombonists Corey Larson and Timmy McGowan trading fours, as well as an impressive solo by saxophonist Anna Taché. The third song was “Afternoon in Paris,” by John Lewis, which built into a fun cool climax. Their last song, a jazz-pop tune called “The Spirit of St. Frederick,” by Nick Lane, saw McGowan pick up a guitar to take a solo as well.
Following them was the percussion ensemble, who played two tunes, including the tropica-tinged “Sunset,” inspired by the sound of Jamaican steel drums, before Dunlap handed the floor to graduating senior Courtney Ellis. Ellis lead the group on the impressively intricate “Caprice Diabolique,” which Dunlap said was the most difficult song he had even had a percussion ensemble play.
Dunlap thanked Ellis for her work in the ensemble over the last four years. Ellis gifted the group new sets of mallets, which they used to play their final piece, the fun and up-tempo “Friend Like Me,” from Disney’s Aladdin.
Dunlap then turned the microphone over to Washington, who’s seven choral ensembles had the rest of the bill. One of the things most impressive about these performances was just how much work they had done with Washington. The Concert Choir, made up entirely of first year singers, began with the perfectly in-tune “El Grillo,” and finished with a spirited rendition of the traditional spiritual “Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel.” Following them was the Men’s Choir, a new ensemble that Washington began in March. With weekly after-school rehearsals, the group learned two pieces – “Tell My Father,” and the exciting “Brother’s Sing On” – an impressive feat in such a short time.
After the Men’s Choir were two a capella groups made up of singers from other ensembles: the all-women’s Maroon Melodies A Capella, singing the Motown classic “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” and the mixed-voice Golden Chords A Capella group, singing an arrangement of Rihanna’s “Diamonds,” written by Washington himself. The performances were especially impressive given the amount of other materials the singers had learned during the period, and the two pop songs were the icing on the musical cake.
In between the two groups was the Advanced Treble Choir, one of the audition-based ensembles. They opened with “The Seal Lullaby,” by GRAMMY-winning choral composer Eric Whitacre. Whitaker’s work is difficult to sing, but they made the gorgeous and gentle piece sound easy. They followed it up with the equally gentle “No Time,” a traditional folk song arranged by Susan Brumfield. Their last piece was the engaging “Johnny Said No!” by Vijay Singh.
Then came the Chamber Choir, the mixed-voice audition-based ensemble. They began with “Way Over in Beulah Lan’,” a traditional spiritual of epic proportions arranged by Stacey V. Gibbs, that built into an tremendous, bluesy finale, garnering massive applause.
The ensemble then switched gears, singing “Crucifixus,” by Antonio Lotti. In addition to being beautifully tuned, they emphasized the early 18th-century piece’s gorgeous separately moving vocal lines. They continued with “Les Tisserands,” an energetic and high-energy song by French composer Francis Poulenc. From there, they went into “The Road Home,” by Stephen Paulus.
The beautiful and emotional piece, based on an early 19th-century folk song from southern Appalachia, with beautiful harmonies that rise and fall over the course of each verse, and a solo from Alto Kelsey Terrasa. They closed with the lighthearted “Nyon Nyon,” by Jake Runestad, a song of entirely gibberish syllables that included wailing and beatboxing.
After their fifth and final piece, Mr. Washington took a minute to acknowledge all of the graduating seniors, and thank them for all of their work and the leadership they showed in the ensemble. Then, a group of seniors gave an emotional thank you to Mr. Washington and presented him with a few gifts, honoring his work to improve the choral program and his enthusiasm for vocal music. Finally, the rest of the choral program returned to the stage for the closing number, a unifying and upbeat gospel-style arrangement of the pop song “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother.”