The fall choral concert at Central Christian Church this Sunday, October 27, was nothing short of impressive. At 2pm, the Millikin Women, Millikin Men, and Tudor Voices performed the repertoire they have been working on for the past few weeks. Millikin Women performed first, processing in while singing “Svatba,” a Bulgarian wedding song. Conner Kerrigan also accompanied them with percussion, giving it a tribal feel. Then they sang “Gloria Kajoniensis,” which had a Latin text, and “There Will Come Soft Rains.” Martha Coleman spoke the Sarah Teasdale poem to which the song was set before the choir sang, and Tina Nicholson accompanied them on the oboe. For their final song, they sang “Now Let Me Fly!,” a spiritual song “envisioning what heaven is going to be like some day.”

Next, the Millikin Women and Men combined to form the Millikin Singers, and they sang “A Red, Red Rose.” Then the Tudor Voices processed in while the women of the group sang the song “Jerusalem.” “Ave Maria virgo serena” followed, and then “Rodrigo Martinez,” with Christian Wilkey on the guitar and Emily Wheeler on the recorder, and finally “Fyer, Fyer.” The final ensemble to perform was the Millikin Men. They began with “Let All Men Sing,” and then continued with “Tebe Poyem,” “The Last Words of David,” and “Until I Found the Lord.” The group had a very rich sound, which was especially apparent in their final song, “Rise Up, Shepherd, and Follow.” Dr. Engelhardt arranged it himself, putting a modern spin on the traditional spiritual, and Eric McCarter had the solo.

That concluded the concert, and then at 4pm the Collegiate Chorale and University Choir performed their repertoire. The Collegiate Chorale opened the concert, singing “Exsultate Deo,” “Entreat Me Not to Leave You,” a pretty, haunting piece adapted from Ruth 1:16-17, “Kanarbik (Heather) from Sügismaastikud (Autumn Landscapes),” and “Gloria, from Missa Brevis Es-Dur.” They had a very pleasant, blended sound, even on the dissonant harmonies that were present in most of their songs. Finally, University Choir started their portion of the concert with “Exsultate,” showing off their strong presence and rich, balanced sound. They then sang “Der Geist Hilft unsrer Schwachheit auf,” a light, playful motet, “Nunc Dimittis,” a call and response like song between the choir and a quartet, and “hope, faith, life, love.” “Exultet iam angelica turba” was accompanied by a cello and two “dueling” choirs that eventually transformed into three. “Stetit Angelus” had a lot of dynamic build and was nice to listen to. On their final song, “Praise to the Lord,” the members of the choir held hands, showing their unity and emotional connection to each other and the piece. Each choir had a sound unique to them, and it was a pleasure to listen to.