The Auburn University Chamber Choir hosted Emory University in a joint performance Sunday, March 3, less than a week before they perform at the American Choral Director's Southeastern Conference on their biggest stage yet.
"The ACDA is the most prestigious professional choral association in our country," said Dr. William Powell, professor of music and director of choral activities. "It's kind of like our SEC championship."
The 50-member ensemble will journey to Jacksonville, Fla. to compete against other schools and organizations for the first time in the program's history.
After languishing in obscurity for so long, Auburn is finally getting the recognition it deserves.
"I'm really excited about ACDA because it's something we've been working toward since my freshman year when chamber choir was really new," said Elizabeth Segarra, senior in public relations. "When I first joined, people didn't take it as seriously, [but] I think now it's easy to really hear a difference in how much has changed with our sound. Our sound has really matured."
Segarra said performing off-book, entirely from memory is a big accomplishment, especially given the complex nature of the music and the foreign languages its parts are written in.
Despite meeting four times per week to practice, the chamber choir ensemble is only worth a single credit hour, making any commitment a labor of love.
"A lot of these people are overloading with 20 hours this semester because they're music majors, and we had a rehearsal on Friday night," Segarra said. "These people are all really dedicated."
The chamber choir, which is comprised entirely of undergrad students across varying majors, is considered Auburn's most elite and prestigious choral arrangement.
The talent of the Emory ensemble was on full display as they opened up the show with "Glorious Everlasting" before working through pieces in French, Russian and a traditional Indian Raga.
Auburn's performance opened up with "Chariots," a song Will Boswell, senior in communication disorders, calls his favorite performance piece.
"I've sung it with a couple of the chamber choirs in the past, so I know it really well, and it's got a lot of energy to it so I can bring a lot of energy to my voice part," Boswell said. "We all know our parts [and], we don't have to worry about the notes or rhythms coming up. We just get together, and it all comes out."
"Arise, Beloved," and "Hallelujah," two songs Auburn performed on Sunday and will perform in Jacksonville this weekend, were both composed by Rosephanye Powell, Dr. Powell's wife.
The latter song is the fourth movement in Powell's concerto "The Cry Of Jeremiah," in which the Auburn chamber ensemble will debut at the Lincoln center in New York City this coming May.
The show culminated with the chamber ensembles from both schools joining the stage for a rendition of "Battle Hymn of the Republic," conducted by Emory director Dr. Eric Nelson.
"Dr. Powell is so kind. His students sing with such passion and energy and individuality, and I mean that in the best way possible," Nelson said. "They don't just do what they're told, they sing with their spirits and that comes through and adds a whole new level of enjoyment to the performance. We'll extend an invitation if we have not already to have Auburn come and sing at our place next year."
Despite running without a hitch, Powell could not help but lament that Auburn still does not have a performing arts center suitable for these types of events, leaving them at the mercy of scheduling conflicts around town.
"It's like having a football team but not having a stadium," Powell said. "It's not that we don't produce or have performances. You see we're here at a church and there's nothing wrong with the space, it's great, but it's not our space. This is Auburn University, the flagship school of the state, and we are the only institution, including junior colleges, that doesn't have a performing arts center."
Powell said there had been talk of building a new performing arts center and still has high hopes it will turn into construction.
For now, however, Auburn will focus on the task at hand: bringing their considerable talent and motivation to the main stage to show the ACDA how far it's come.
"This is the cream of the crop for Auburn University," said Seth McCollough, senior in music and president of the Auburn University Chamber Choir. "[Practice] was intense. Dr. Powell was really picky about stuff. We spent, I'm sure, 10 minutes on four measures from one piece. That's not exaggerating. He wanted everything to be perfect, and I don't blame him. We're a representative of Auburn University, so we need to be perfect in what we do."
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