Jin Kim

The Linfield Concert Choir and the Linfield Singers have joined together to present the last choir performance of the year, aptly named the Spring Choral Concert, to be held in Ice Auditorium 4 p.m. May 17.
The pieces the groups will be singing were specifically chosen because their images complement the spirit of spring, Anna Song, adjunct professor of music and director of the ensemble, said.
Song described the pieces as joyful, celebratory and fun-fitting for spring.
Selections include, “Rejoice in the Lamb,” by Benjamin Britten, for which the group will be accompanied by Debra Huddleston on the organ. “Ain’t That Good News,” by William Dawson, “Ah, Robin, Gentle, Robin,” by William Cornysh and “Drink To Me Only With Thine Eyes,” by John Wall Callcott will also be performed.
Pieces by Arvo Pärt, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Ralph Ticheli and others will also be featured.
While preparing for the coming performance, the ensemble encountered some challenges.
“[The] biggest problem right now is the ‘Rejoice in the Lamb,’ [as] the rehearsal space doesn’t have [an] organ,” Song said.
However, Song has taught her students well and encouraged them to do their best.
“I have learned a lot as an individual from [Song] over this term; [Song] makes us work for every phrase and musical nuance,” Chelsea Janzen, a freshman soloist in “Rejoice in the Lamb,” said.
Song also said she was pleasantly surprised by her students’ improvements.
“Vocally, there’s been a tremendous amount of success,” Song said. “I was impressed with [the students’] evident progress.”
In addition to this individual advancement, Song said new friendships and a renewed spirit have unified the ensemble.
As the final choir performance of the 2008-2009 school year, sophomore Helen Kehoe, another soloist for the “Rejoice in the Lamb” piece, said she believes this concert will be a capstone performance that will reflect the choir’s growth throughout the year.
The Linfield Concert Choir and the Linfield Singers are ready to present their final concert, Song said.
“It’s going to be a terrific experience,” Janzen said. “It will be unlike anything you have heard before.”
For more information about the Spring Choral Concert, contact the music department at 503-883-2275 or visit www.linfield.edu/music.