2015 Large Ensemble Festival at Meredith

Our Spring Break started Monday. The time off provided me the chance to work with the Middle Creek High School Choral Department and attend the NC Music Educator Association's Large Ensemble. I hear 6 different groups from 4 different schools. Middle Creek's choirs did exceptionally well-I know their amazing director is proud, as she should be from such well-executed performances. 

A couple highlights:

1. Middle Creek's Vocal Ensemble closed their set with Dravidian Dithyramb by Victor Paranjoti - fun piece; definitely would consider programming. 
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2. Fuquay Varina's Chamber Ensemble closed their set with Fergusen's Ye Followers of the Land. Loved the jazzy piano accompaniment and melodic vocal lines.
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3. Panther Creek's Women's Chorus closed their set with a piece I did not catch the name or composer of. However, based on the text I'm going to go with a title of "Revelation" and a 21st century composer. Powerful, big accompaniment, big vocal lines, sectional with repetition, and long (I'm glad I didn't have to memorize it) but impacting. 
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I also loved these three sets because - THERE WAS NOT A SPIRITUAL. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE a good spiritual, but it's so nice to hear choirs that didn't conclude with a spiritual for the sake of ending with a big bang. (Though I did love that a school sang my favorite spiritual - Dawson's "In His Care-O")


Happy Music-ing!