voces8 – Houghton STAR

Houghton College Choir This semester Houghton will be welcoming the new vocal ensemble, the Houghton Singers. This group will be dedicated to bringing more contemporary arrangements, including hits from The Beatles and Tom Petty. The Singers’ coordinator, Kevin Dibble, said the idea for this group began last year when Voces8 performed on campus and was received with an “overwhelming interest”. The Houghton Singers hope to reflect a similar acapella sound.

Traditionally, the Houghton Music Department has been devoted to the genre of classical music. Dibble, Assistant Director of Choral Activities, acknowledges that while it is still important to study and perform conventional pieces, it is also vital to “recognize that the world of music is changing”. Houghton is now providing a more diverse course offering that include studies in commercial compositional activity and music business. The Houghton Singers look forward to being a continuation of the recent appreciation for a more varied music scene on campus.

Simba Kamuriwo, a senior music major, is just one of the 13 vocalists that make up the Houghton Singers. Kamuriwo is looking forward to “giving more variety to the music program that already exists,” and describes the group as a “selection of different students from numerous studies”. The ensemble consists of both undergraduate and graduate students.

One hope that the Houghton Singers have as a group is to encourage the idea that music at Houghton is for everyone. Dibble also serves as Coordinator of Music Admissions and Recruitment, and said that part of the institution’s plan as a liberal arts college is to have the opportunity for all to participate in the music program, whether or not it is their area of study. This group has the potential to attract more people who may have been turned off from the previous repertoire. Dibble is excited to have the chance to “marry” the classical and the contemporary music worlds.

Admittance into the Houghton Singers was very selective, beginning with initial auditions, followed by callbacks held Friday, September 6. After the ensemble’s first rehearsal, Kamuriwo was “impressed by the level of commitment” evident in the group. Kamuriwo is looking forward to getting to know his fellow vocalists and said, “We have a common goal that drives us . . . we are all going to put our hearts into this, work hard, and set a standard for performing in this genre.”

Sophomore Religion major, Hope McKeever, who will be singing alto in the Houghton Singers, is just one of the vocalists that will be adding to the diversity of this new group. McKeever has previously sung in various choirs, festivals, and musicals. She described her current involvement with the Singers as her, “first musical endeavor at Houghton” and said this is an unique opportunity for students. Although Mckeever is not studying music, she can find connections between her area of study and this ensemble. and said she, “appreciates the relationship of discipline as well as the ability of gaining a new perspective”.

In looking toward the future, the Houghton Singers are excited to sing in chapel and SPOT as well as travel to local schools. This vocal ensemble plans to serve as ambassadors; outreaching and connecting with others through music. This is especially feasible due to the group’s convenient small size, which opens the door to more possibilities.

Most importantly, Kevin Dibble said that the goal behind the Houghton Singers is to have a “clear intention for God . . . although the music may be secular, every performance [will] be given to God as another way to thank Him for gifts He has given.”

I admit I had my reservations about Friday night’s VOCES8 concert. Within my first two years at Houghton, I heard the famed Chanticleer sing sweet melodies from the Wesley Chapel stage and they set a high standard. So when I saw that a group called VOCES8 was coming to campus, I immediately and rudely thought, “What, so we couldn’t get Chanticleer?”

Trying to keep an open mind, I saw that they were from Britain. That is a redeeming quality; I like the Brits. I would spend another semester in London in a heartbeat. I like their characteristically dry sense of humor. I like their museums, their fish and chips, their countryside. They have a lot going for them—James Bond, Mr. Bean, corgis.

Arriving last Friday night at the chapel, I hoped VOCES8 would play up their “Britishness.” They did not disappoint on any level. The octet of singers, six men and two women, sang a program entitled, “British Invasion Mixed.” They had not even sung any notes yet, and I was already halfway to being won over by their program title. Looking across the page at the list of singers, I saw British last names like Dickins, Wardle, and Dressel and first names like Barnaby and, yes, Dingle.

But all British love aside, these eight people knew how to sing. And sing practically anything. This program was the most diverse I had heard in a long time. Their repertoire spanned a timeline of roughly five hundred years. They sang Renaissance pieces by Byrd and Praetorius, jazz songs by Nat ‘King’ Cole, a gospel piece, “Go Down Moses,” and a wide assortment of popular music, including songs by Mumford & Sons, Simon and Garfunkel, and The Beatles. And the genres were not all clumped together, either. One minute I was listening to Renaissance and the next, jazz.

Instead of creating a jarring affect, the switching back and forth between styles kept the overall tone of the performance fun and light. Of their varied format, Sally Murphy said she “was pleasantly surprised by their playful willingness to branch out into different genres.” They were not afraid to spice things up a little either with some funny choreography, like in the James Bond tribute, “Nobody Does it Better,” or the ending number, “Slap that Bass.”

Most of the members of VOCES8 would periodically come to the mic and say a few words about the next selection. One such member included the aforementioned Dingle. I think if I ask people who went to the concert in several months’ time what they remembered most about the program, they would mention Dingle, and not just because of his unusual name.

As the tallest member of the group, with dark-rimmed glasses and well-poofed hair, Dingle immediately captured the audience’s attention. His string bass impersonations kept the jazz pieces alive, while his fragmented, witty speeches into the mic kept the audience chuckling. Not to mention how everyone swooned at his beautifully resonant solo during the opera medley encore. Oh, and do not forget his drunk play acting during said encore as well.

But not only Dingle enchanted me. All the singers kept me invested in their performance with the overall atmosphere they created. This concert was about enjoying and appreciating a wide range of music, all the while having a fun and relaxing evening.

While there are not any more Distinguished Artist concerts this year, there will be some next year, and I encourage all Houghton students to attend. They are free! Non-students have to pay fifteen dollars. But the free part is just a bonus. These concerts provide students with a professional-level performance right here on campus. It is fun to get a little dressed up and hear some good music. And if there is another “British Invasion” at some point, you would not want to miss it.