The concert opened with two lively and fast-paced madrigals: John Dowland's "Come Again! Sweet Love Doth Now Invite" and Michael Este's "How Merrily We Live." The sopranos were especially strong, their high notes standing out among the rest.
The madrigals segued nicely into a sacred set including Imant Raminsh's "In The Beginning," Mozart's "Laudate Dominum" and Jean-Baptiste Lully's "Regina Coeli." "In The Beginning" was a beautiful take on Genesis 1:1-5, 16-18. The impressive piece featured haunting melodies and complicated note patterns. The other two songs of the sacred set were beautifully arranged and supported by strong singing in all of the sections, generously overwhelming the room with gorgeous music.
Stephen Leek's "Kungala," which followed, was easily the most fun piece of the entire show. "Kungala" is an Australian word that means "a place to sing and shout." Doing just that, the chorus reflected tremendous amounts of energy. Gustav Jenner's piece "O Sonne, O Sonne" followed, juxtaposing "Kungala" with its soft melody and graceful German lyrics.
Concert choir member Melody Ko '04 helped the orchestration of the next song, Donald Patriquin's "Ah! Si mon moine voulait danser!" with her wonderful piano accompaniment. The Quebec folksong was charming and joyful.
The last few songs were stunning, and included a trio of African freedom songs. Anders Nyber's "Siyamba" and "Haleluya! Pelo Tsa Rona" incorporated clapping and shouts of joy. Lewis Allan's "Strange Fruit" was the most moving piece of the concert. Made famous by Billie Holiday, "Strange Fruit" is a song about the south's history of lynching. The jazz harmonies and the haunting lyrics encompassed a feeling of human suffering and made for an extremely poignant piece.
The concert ended with another emotional piece: James Hamilton's 1906 "Senior Song" left the graduating students with tears in their eyes. The song was a wonderful way to end the program and featured Jamie Atteniese '04, Stacy Kepler '04, Kimberly Kwei '04, Christine Ondreicka '04 and Erin Kirkham '04.
"This was the best concert by far. I am going to miss Women's Chorus a lot next year. As I have been singing since freshman year, it has always been an integral part of my life here at Amherst. I know I won't ever have the chance to be part of something like this again. I am definitely going to feel the void," remarked Ondreicka.
The women performed a wonderful show. Their hard work and immense talent was truly evident. Chernin concisely summed up the sentiment of the audience: "Congratulations to all of Women's Chorus! You guys rocked!"