Vocal Extravaganza
About the event
WSU School of Music will present the 2021 Family Weekend Vocal Extravaganza on Friday October 15, 2021 at 7:30 pm in Bryan Hall Theatre. This concert is free to the public and donations are welcome. Audience members will be required to wear masks. WSU’s Opera Workshop, University Singers, and Concert Choir will perform.
This year’s opera workshop, directed by Dr. Julie Anne Wieck, will be presenting scenes from Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, Menotti’s The Telephone, and Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress. The singers will be joined by Elena Panchenko, collaborative pianist. The full production of scenes and one-acts will be presented on Thursday, November 18 at 7:30 p.m. when they will be joined by the WSU Concert Choir.
The University Singers, WSU’s 38-voice treble ensemble directed by Dr. Matthew Myers, will perform a selection of pieces about hope, positivity, and resilience. Their repertoire includes an arrangement of a traditional South African greeting song, an excerpt from Mendelssohn’s oratorio Elijah, and works by contemporary American composers Elizabeth Alexander, Susan Brumfield, Jocelyn Hagen, and Moira Smiley.
WSU’s auditioned choral ensemble, Concert Choir, directed by Dr. Dean Luethi, will present a wide array of selections on the theme of longing and hope. Their program will begin with audience favorite Nyon Nyon, by Jake Runestad and continue with selections by Palestrina and Faure. The second half of their program will begin with William Dawson’s arrangement of Ezekiel Saw De Wheel followed by Ralph Manuel’s Alleluia. In their continuing effort to be allies to the WSU and Pullman LGBTQ+ community, Concert Choir will close their portion of the concert with Jennifer McMillan’s arrangement of Don’t Be Afraid.