Voices of Worship choir displays female talent
A crowd gathered in front of the Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center Saturday, Dec. 5, for a night of vocal performance by the Voices of Worship choir at the University of Indianapolis.
The stage was equipped with seven microphones and an assortment of instruments that included a drum set, piano and organ.
The concert featured musical pieces composed by the Clark Sisters and Dennis Montgomery.
The concert’s theme centered on a soulful approach to the traditional gospel music and influences from African American choirs and churches.
The concert opened with “Bless the Lord,” by Tye Tribbett, which set the tone of the concert, followed by Lynn Deshazo’s “Flow to You.”
“One of my favorite pieces from tonight’s concert was Deshazo’s ‘Flow to You,’ because the rhythm was slow, and the group could almost sing it like a love song,” said Geoffrey Kelsaw, director of Voices of Worship choir at UIndy.
Kelsaw described on what soulful style music is and why he chose it to be this semester’s theme.
“This [soulful] style of music is a little different than traditional gospel music. It has more rhythm, vigorous singing techniques and requires the singer to interpret the songs with feeling,” he said.
The UIndy Voices of Worship choir has been through a series of changes in the past. According to Kelsaw, the choir was originally put together by the former music department chair and started with an enrollment of 25 students.
This semester, the choir had no male participants; the musical pieces had to be arranged specifically to tailor to an all-female group.
Soloists performed with many of the evening’s pieces.
“One of the challenges this semester was trying to compensate for the lack of male singers,” said Ashlee Mills, member of the Voices of Worship choir. “I had to do both the alto and the tenor part, which took a lot of practice.”
According to Kelsaw, the concert had other traditional holiday pieces such as “Silent Night.”
“We’ve had soulful music in the past, but this year we try to use music pieces from other soulful-style composers that accommodates to our all-female group this semester, ” Kelsaw said.
Students who attended expressed their thoughts about the music and the theme of the concert.
“This is my [first] exposure to gospel music. I thought it fit the holiday theme very well. I always thought church music was somewhat conservative, but it was a pleasant surprise tonight,” junior Saleisha Huang said.
The group performed nine songs, ending the concert with “More Than a Holiday.” Kelsaw explained at the end the piece that the lyrics are designed to remind people of the significance of Christmas and the coming of Jesus Christ.
Voices of Worship is a class held on Monday nights, 7-9:20 p.m. Auditions are required for those who wish to join the choir.
