Darrah Walker
Lantern Staff
On Thursday Oct. 12 through Saturday Oct. 14, Butler’s vocalists took a step on the stage for the first time this year.
Seven different ensembles performed on stage: Concert Choir, Chamber Singers, A Cappella, Butler Ladies, Headliners, Smorgaschords and Notbales. With as many groups that there are, there was a variety of songs, which added plenty of fun and excitement.
Students prepared for the concert since the first day of school. Each song was critiqued and broken down into pieces to make it as perfect as possible. Professor of Vocal Music Matthew Udland worked with the students, and every time he heard something out of place, it was immediately fixed.
The Concert Choir sang two songs that in different languages, “Janger” and “Calmes des Nuits.” As “Janger” added a lot of fun, and it was clear that the students enjoyed performing it. “Calmes des Nuits” resembled the beautiful works of Eric Whitacre, a famous composer who is known for creating virtual choirs.
“I love what we do,” Udland said. “I think there are very few colleges at any level, community or four-year institutes, in the state of Kansas that have such diversity as we do.”
With Concert Choir being such a large group, learning to sing in a different language was a challenge. Every student had to work extra hard to listen to each other to make the songs as beautiful as possible.
“It is always nerve racking but it all comes together,” sophomore Anastasia Taylor said. “It is beautiful.”
Taylor does not only belong in the Concert Choir, but also a smaller ensemble, Chamber Singers. She was not the only one who experienced nerves, but some students weren’t nervous at all.
“I am very excited, not at all nervous just excited,” sophomore Dustin Jones said.
Adding to all the different variety of songs, Headliners and Butler Ladies grabbed the audience’s attention with not only singing but dancing as well. Not all the students began the school year with experience in dancing. Those students had to work harder than most to learn to dance and get everything down. Singing and dancing at the same time is not an easy task to do, and with them perfecting the songs showed how unique and skilled Butler can be.
Butler’s vocalists did not disappoint for their first concert, as they brought to the stage difficult pieces. The next vocal concert will be held on Thursday, May 3 through Saturday, May 5.
