Positioned nine feet apart, the concert choir and collegiate singers of BYU-Idaho are coming together to perform in the Barrus Concert Hall tonight. This concert is just one example of BYU-Idaho’s goal to integrate the Holy Spirit into all aspects of education.
Eda Ashby, the conductor of the Concert Choir, emphasized that because of COVID-19 students have all had to change the way they approach learning their music. McKay Cancienne, a member of the Collegiate Singers, and Annica Danielson, a member of the Concert Choir, both explained that they have had to step up in new ways to benefit the choir. Their independent study gave them more accountability.
“Even though we aren’t meeting every day, I can still learn the pieces and have them learned in the right amount of time so that I can be a valuable member of the choir,” Cancienne said.
With smaller numbers, Danielson said that each person doing their best becomes even more important.
“Just realizing that has really helped me to actually put forth the effort to be that asset to the choir,” she said.
The ensemble, Collegiate Singers, will sing the world premiere of a four-movement work titled “The Voice Within” by Lane Johnson.
“The overall message of ‘The Voice Within’ is something spiritual. God is always reaching out his hand to us. He loves us and wants us to feel his peace and comfort...wants us to hear His voice,” Cancienne said.
Both Cancienne and Danielson said that having the Spirit is an integral part of studying music. Danielson said that for this reason, BYU-Idaho choirs have a special ability to connect their audiences with that spirit.
The Concert Choir will perform six pieces, closing their performance with “Beati Quorum Via” by C.V. Stanford which both groups will perform together.
Collegiate Singers will perform 4 stand-alone pieces, highlighted by the world premiere of the four-movement work “The Voice Within” by Lane Johnson. The four movements are “Not in the Wind,” “Encircled,” “Alleluia” and “Be Still.”
The ensembles’ performance will be live streamed this evening, Friday June 11, at 7:30 p.m. from the BYU-Idaho live events page.