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Concert Choir Sings in Carnegie Hall

Friday, December 4, 2009
by Beth Sowers

New York City, NY - On November 29, combined members of the Hannibal-LaGrange College Concert Choir, Mark Twain Chorale, and friends, 35 total, joined forces to perform on the stage of Carnegie Hall in New York City.

By invitation, the group performed Magnificat by John Rutter and sang under his direction.  The Magnificat is a collection of seven songs taken from St. Luke and is a personal expression of joy and thanksgiving sung by Mary to her cousin Elizabeth.  She sings praises to God, recalls mercies shown to Israel, and recalls promises made by God to Abraham.  The brilliant work featured a professional soprano soloist (Mary) and chorus, and was accompanied by the New England Philharmonic Ensemble.

This particular concert was exceptionally important as it was in celebrate of  John Rutter’s 100^th performance with MidAmerica Productions in NYC and it also marked the 25^th anniversary of MidAmerica Productions.

This performance was HLG’s 3^rd time singing on the stage of Carnegie Hall and was especially memorable because the choir was asked to perform an encore number as the chorus from Verdi’s La Traviata, singing with two professional opera singers from South Korea. They sang the famous and beloved “Libbiamo, ne’lieti.”

The HLG group was under the direction of Jane Griffen, assistant professor of music at HLG.

“It certainly is an honor to be invited to sing at Carnegie Hall for the third time,” said Griffen. “It means that we have upheld our high standards and quality of choral training here at HLG. It is one of the activities that alumni reminisce about often…makes memories, and brings us closer to each other,” continued Griffen. “Personally, I get chills thinking that I am walking and performing where Robert Schumann and Brahms once played.”

Along with singing in Carnegie Hall, the group was able to tour famous landmarks such as the Empire State Building, Ground Zero, and the Statue of Liberty. They also broke off into groups and took in a variety of shows, including Phantom of the Opera, Mary Poppins, South Pacific, and Wicked.  A dinner cruise along the Manhattan skyline completed their time in NYC. 

For more information about the HLG Concert Choir, contact Jane Griffen at 573.629.3165.

Photo contributed by Lydia Wills.