Lux Aurumque by Eric Whitacre
Performed by the Seymour High School Chorus.

This is a relatively strong choir. They have a great blend, especially with the dissonant chords that really add a rich texture to the piece. Whitacre has a gift for composing vocal music with vibrant colors that reach to the subconscience workings of the soul. There are some intonation issue with the middle parts which are evident at 0:32, 0:45, 1:43. At these instances, the choir seemed unsure of what pitches they were suppose to sing, which could have been due to lack of preparation, or lack of strength from the voice. There are also parts where the minor second intervals between the alto's and soprano's were piercing but not clear, creating an unbalanced contrast. I was very impressed with the alto's sustained Ab note at 2:30, as the rest of the choir sang chord passages gently. Diction isn't particularly clear, but the choir's warm and confident tone quality make up for it. Dynamics are also effective, displaying  pleasing light crescendo in the opening chords and great piano dynamics in the end. The singers display a genuine aesthetic enjoyment from piece, which I think reflects in the sound of the performance. I enjoyed this choir's sound and I think the sound would have been even better if I was there in person.

Ride On King Jesus
Traditional Spiritual arranged by Moses Hogan
Performed by Liberty High School Concert Choir.

This choir emanates the spirit of this piece quite well through the use of phrasing and dynamics and appropriate character for the spiritual genre. The soloists also display a genuine satisfaction with what they are singing, particularly the second soloist. They start with great force and display great control over dynamics as the soloists sing and swelling ability on "Ride on", a nice subtle touch to this already great performance. At the end of the piece, with the large chordal sound, a single soprano is clearly heard above the choir with pitch accuracy and power. The pronunciation of the text is also clear and appropriate to the genre, not too round and not too nasally. The choir members also hit the notes precisely adding to the chromatic passages that can occur throughout. I thoroughly enjoyed this composition and performance; this choir demonstrates that the conductor clearly has an understanding of what it takes to create a solid choir.