Chorale groups attract all types
Some go for an ‘easy A’
others just for the fun of it
By Diane Wlnocur
Of tt>» Emerald
Most of the 100 or more
students who audition for the
University’s Chorale are
"scared to death," says Prof
Paul Westland
As conductor, Westland
knows auditioners for this
rather exclusive singing group
are "a little bit more frightened
at this level.”
But frightened or not,
membership in the music
school's ensembles is growing
And the positions are not being
filled by only music majors,
either
NON-MAJORS ACCOUNT
FOR half of the Chorale's 77
singers, and 40 percent of the
University Singers, another
audition-based group And of
the 95 non-auditioned singers
in the Contemporary Chorus,
about 75 percent do not study
music
If requirements do not bring
them in, what is setting so many
hearts to song?
Students who hear a good
show often return to try their
own voice, Westland says
He also says the cultural
experience of college is an
encouragement to join a
singing group As students
come in contact with the
humanities, arts, and music of
the countries and periods they
study, "they may learn about
classical music for the first time
and become turned on to it,”
Westland says
Members of the
Contemporary Chorus don't
see their membership as quite
so esoteric Junior Steve Peery
says he joined the group
because it was a "good means
to develop (his) voice and great
sight-reading practice." But he
adds that he appreciates the
after-concert parties and
relaxed mood of the class just
as much
“It’s a good time, not a lot of
work,” says Peery
Because of the openess of
their memberships, the
University’s four largest choral
ensembles — Contemporary
Chorus, Chorale, University
Singers and Vocal Jazz
Ensemble —share some
common difficulties
ATTRITION CLAIMS HALF
of the Contemporary Chorus
each term, says Prof Stephen
Stone, who claims continuity is
not a problem for the group at
all The class is set up loosely
enough to take the changeover
in stride, he says
A second potential conflict in
choral groups arises from the
variety of people who join, and
their range of ability —
especially when auditions
aren't mandatory.
Stone calls the
Contemporary Chorus'
membership "as varied as you
can imagine, with majors from
all over the University, and ages
from underclassmen to an
80-year-old long-standing
member from the community
Each choral group is unique
in the skill level required, the
type of music studied, the time
it is offered, and the
atmosphere cultivated by its
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for RCYB members
Two members of the Revolutionary Communist Youth
Brigade were denied retrials Friday on arson charges brought
against them for burning a yellow cloth at a speech by former
Iranian hostage Victor Tomseth.
Lane County Circuit Court Judge George Woodrich
dismissed motions for a new trial tor John Kaiser, 25, and
Nancy Whitley, 30, who were convicted of first-degree arson
in October.
Kaiser and Whitley were sentenced Dec 11 to 10 days in
jail and two years of unsupervised probation and remain free
on bail while their cases are appealed
f
Both music majors and non-majors join chorale groups.
Photo by Mark Pynes
conductor.
But because students select
their group for any number of
reasons, and may even join two
for the sake of variety,
inter-group "rivalry or
snobbishness does not exist,”
Westland says.
THE ONE CREDIT CHORALE
CLASSES can be taken for a
grade or pass/no pass.
Westland admits most students
choose the grade option
because they reoeive an
automatic “A" with attendance.
But he insists this scarcely
repays students for their time
investment — three one-hour
rehearsals each week, plus
concert attendance and
occasional extra rehearsals.
High school choirs are
nothing like college ensembles,
according to Hope Harrison, a
freshman who passed her
audition to become a soprano
in the Chorale
"People want to be here,”
she says of the group, “not
because it’s an easy A', but
because they want to work
harder When they're there for
a reason, more gets done.”
Harrison says she enjoys
singing with the group, and
would take the class even if it
weren't required of her as a
future music major
"I love to hear massive
voices,” she says "It sounds
real neat "
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