Over spring break this year, the EMU Chamber Singers had a wonderful experience traveling and performing around Northern Virginia. Staying closer to campus than in most previous years, this trip allowed the choir to establish connections with a variety of local high schools and smaller Mennonite churches located within an hour or so of Harrisonburg. Throughout the week off from classes, the Chamber Singers sang at eight high schools, six churches, both the Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr. memorials, and one community music room. All of these opportunities usually meant packing two or three engagements into one day which, while tiring, was extremely worthwhile in the end.

“My favorite part of the tour was definitely laughing and singing with the choir – there is something so meaningful about making music with other people that just brings you together in an awesome way,” mentioned third year, Iris Anderson. This same sentiment was echoed by many other members of the choir, who expressed that having fun as a group really does lead to an improved quality of sound for the audience. The selections of music and the underlying theme associated with the setlist also played a major role in the experiences of various members over the course of the week. 

“There is no better feeling than performing with people you care about and making beautiful music with an incredible message. The arts are so important for both the artist and the audience and the reactions we received from community members… really proved that,” conveyed first year, Elie Hoover. Director Benjamin Bergey’s vision for the pieces this semester really encompasses EMU’s mission of building peace and community with one another while also tying in sentiments related to various events currently going on globally. The set starts off with a series of pieces that project a sense of lament, mourning for the areas of the world in which we do not see peace prevailing due to any number of factors. Following this, a segment with songs focusing on finding peace within that violence presents the idea that even though people may feel hopelessness and despair, there is ultimately a light at the end of the tunnel regardless of the situation. Finally, the music takes a turn towards an atmosphere of hope; hope for a brighter and more peaceful future globally. One of the favored selections by choir and audience members alike is a song entitled “Only Love,” with words inspired by the writings of Martin Luther King Jr. The choir had the opportunity to sing it in front of the MLK memorial near the beginning of the tour, which was an extremely emotional experience for the group. This piece truly ties the whole message of the music set together, emphasizing the fact that hatred and violence only lead to more hatred and violence, and love is the only thing that can end these two destructive sentiments. There are only a few more opportunities to hear the choir perform this spring, and the best of these is on Sunday, April 28, at the Chamber Singers end-of-semester concert at 7:00 pm at Park View Mennonite Church. If you would be interested in joining either University Choir or Chamber Singers in the future, contact Benjamin Bergey (benjamin.bergey@emu.edu) for all the details.