Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) presents Songs of Inspiration and Hope
Spivey Hall Children’s Choir; Martha Shaw, director
Stuyvesant High School Chorus; Holly Hall, director
Distinguished Concerts Singers International; Lori Loftus, DCINY debut conductor
Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY
June 26, 2016
On June 26, 2016 Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) presented a concert entitled Songs of Inspiration and Hope. Featuring the Spivey Hall Children’s Choir from Georgia, the Stuyvesant High School Chorus from New York, and the Distinguished Concerts Singers International (singers from North Carolina, Ohio, Georgia, Pennsylvania, California, and Maryland), it was an afternoon filled with the heartfelt joy of youthful singers from elementary school age through high school.
A concert featuring exclusively children (or young people, if you prefer) presents a difficult set of choices to the reviewer. It would be inappropriate, or even downright hostile, to judge using the standards applied to professional or adult ensembles. It would also be inappropriate to grant a wholesale “free pass” based solely on the ages of the performers and to ignore issues of balance and intonation. This reviewer decided that he would give the just consideration that developing voices deserve, assess whether the selections chosen were appropriate for them, and evaluate the ensemble, intonation, and to a lesser extent the diction.
The hall was filled with family and friends of the performers ready to cheer on their young stars. The sacrifices of time and money made to give these talented youngsters the opportunities to travel and perform are often overlooked. They might not be the ones on stage, but they help to make it possible, and that deserves recognition.
Due to the quantity of selections offered (twenty), I am not going to comment on each work as I usually do in a review, but will offer some general observations and highlights. For detailed information about the program, program notes, and biographies of Ms. Shaw, Ms. Hall, and Ms. Loftus, click the following link: Concert Program and Notes.
What was at once apparent to this reviewer was the nurturing and completely involved approach the three directors, Martha Shaw, Holly Hall, and Lori Loftus, all took with their young singers. One could see the encouraging gestures, the coaching during and between selections, and the complete joy from these three masterful directors. This is the right approach, and it paid off in what were very good performances for these very young and developing singers.
Opening the afternoon was the Spivey Hall Children’s Choir, led by Martha Shaw. They offered eight selections. Their ensemble was good, and intonation was steady, but there needed to be more projection of sound. The vastness of the hall demands a more robust approach; otherwise, the sound is lost before it reaches the middle of the hall. This is especially true of high treble voices. To be fair, much more experienced groups have had similar issues. Special recognition goes to oboe soloist Natalie Beckenbaugh, saxophonist Randall Reese, bassist Daniel Stein, and drummer Chris Gella, for their roles. The highlight of their selections for this listener was the Hoagy Carmichael classic Georgia On My Mind, with the clever J’entends le Moulin by Donald Patriquin as a close second.
After intermission, the Stuyvesant High School Chorus, led by Holly Hall, took the stage. They offered five selections. They sang with the confidence that comes from being extensively prepared. Accordingly, their offerings were all highly polished. The highlight for this listener was Beethoven’s festive Chor del Engel, from his oratorio Christus am Oelberge (The Mount of Olives), Op. 85. The ensemble, diction, and balance were outstanding, in what would have been exceptional even for an older, more experienced group. They continued their good work throughout, in selections that showed their depth and maturity beyond their years. Excellent work!
Ending the afternoon was the Distinguished Concerts Singers International, led by Lori Loftus, in her DCINY debut as conductor. They offered seven selections. Good balance, mostly steady intonation, and diction were present throughout. The contrapuntal singing in Heinrich Schutz’s Cantate Domino was quite impressive for such young singers.
For The Storm is Passing Over, three (unnamed) soloists (two young ladies and one gentleman) came to the front of the stage, and each had an opportunity to “let loose” with some very impassioned singing. This was the highlight of their set, and the audience loved every second of it! Ending with America The Beautiful, complete with each member of the ensemble waving an American flag, brought another standing ovation from the audience. It was a fitting end to an afternoon that showed the promise of the future of music is alive and well in these young hands and hearts.
