Students Finding Their Voices at MemChurch

 

By Jeffrey Blackwell

Creative and Communications Lead

The Memorial Church of Harvard University

 

As the Harvard University Choir prepares to kick off its concert season this month by celebrating the 150th birthday of the English composer Gustav Holst, 15 new singers from a dynamic spectrum of musical backgrounds are finding their voice in the Memorial Church.

 

Choir auditions in the fall draw dozens of student musicians to the church each year, hoping to be part of the 40-member choir. Gund University Organist and Choirmaster Edward Jones said choosing the choir is only the first step in fully developing the unique sound that varies each year with the voices in the choir.

 

“I think getting them to blend as a choir is one of the fundamental things that needs to happen pretty quickly,” he said. “I’m a big believer that a choir’s sound should be based on the characteristics of its particular voices that year, and not a preset choral sound.”

 

Student musicians are drawn to the UChoir for many reasons, including its focus on classical and sacred music and the strong community of

its members. This fall, the choir will perform works by English composer Gustav Holst, and selections from the 1724 Chorale-Cantata Cycle that Johann Sebastian Bach penned as part of his duties as Leipzig’s Thomaskantor. Church services each Sunday also provide opportunities to sing works by a wide range of composers, from Monteverdi and Mozart to world premieres by Eurydice Osterman and composer-in-residence Carson Cooman ’04.

 

Tom Hillman, a second-year graduate student in the physics department from the United Kingdom, began singing in school as a child. He continued singing in college with the Sidney Sussex College Cambridge choir while an undergrad student at Trinity College.

 

“After a year living in the US, I realized that being in a choir was one of the things I missed most from home and that UChoir would be a great opportunity to continue being involved with this kind of music,” he said. “I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone, and I'm particularly excited about performing such a diverse repertoire.”

First-year student Michael McPhie hopes to keep his deep connection to music as he focuses on his math and computer science studies. He began piano lessons at age 5 and played French horn throughout school. His sister, Katherine, suggested he audition for the choir to keep in touch with his musical connection.

“I appreciate the individual creative process of piano, but there's something special about coming together with a group of people and being completely unified in the music-making process,” said McPhie. “Rehearsals are a place where I feel that I can develop as a musician while surrounded by a group of people with a strong commitment to quality singing. Our director is amazing and inspires the best in each of us. Singing with my sister is also a big plus.”

Students are drawn to the choir from a dynamic range of musical experiences and faiths. Many are looking for community at Harvard and a way to pursue their musical passions outside of their demanding school work.

Junior Linda Wnetrzewska from Warsaw, Poland, joined the choir because she loves sacred music. She sings soprano in the Radcliffe Choral Society and said being a UChoir member widens her choral repertoire range.

“Before college, I didn't have much formal education in music, but I have been involved in singing in some form for as long as I can remember,” Wnetrzewska said. “When I was little, I sang in a children's choir at my church (Lutheran Holy Trinity Church in Warsaw) and was also part of a choir in middle and high school.”

Johannes Magdowski, a master’s student at Harvard Kennedy School, is from Switzerland. He said music has always been a part of his life. Since high school, he has sung in choirs, played in several bands, and performed in musical theatre pieces. 

“I chose UChoir because I was looking for a music community with which I can share moments of happiness and connection through our shared passion—and because I was looking for an ambitious experience that would challenge me and make me a better musician over time,” Magdowski said. “I feel very honored to be chosen for the choir—in every rehearsal, service, and concert, I’m impressed by the talent and professionalism of the musicians around me.”

The first concert of the fall term is scheduled for Oct. 27, 4 p.m. in the Memorial Church Sanctuary. Still, there are opportunities to hear the choir at worship services each Sunday, Choral Evensong and Compline once a month, and Morning Prayers in Appleton Chapel each weekday morning.

“I think we are off to a great start,” said Jones. “We have many first-year students, which is an investment for the next four years. And we have started the term with some tricky music, and they've risen to it. I’m confident this is going to be a powerful group.”