Here are a few photos courtesy of the LaGrange Symphony Orchestra. What a wonderful evening performing for a sold-out house! Click on an image to view larger versions and easily go through a slideshow. More great images can be found on the LSO facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/lagrangesymphony/
Here are a few photos from We Gather Together, a concert of Praise, Thanksgiving and Remembrance – featuring the Choral Society of West Georgia and special guest artists, The Vega Quartet – Elizabeth Fayette, Jessica Wu, Yinzi Kong, and Guang Wang; Amanda Harry; Jason Hernandez; and Carol Cain – Guest Narrator. Thank you to everyone involved in making this concert such a success.
(Click any image to see a larger display and start a slideshow)
What a wonderful evening of dinner and entertainment! Here are some photos from the event.
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On the afternoon of March 9, 2019, the LaGrange College Callaway Auditorium was truly filled with “the sound of music” as two hundred and sixty-five singers, instrumentalists with an attending audience of over five hundred gathered together for the fourth annual West Georgia Choral Arts Festival. Singers from ages eight to eighty were featured in some of the area’s most outstanding choirs. Collaboratively, the sheer force of their singing was breathtaking in both scope, size, sound and spectrum.
The first half of the concert featured each choir performing two selections of their director’s choice. LaGrange College Singers under the direction of Debbie Ogle, opened the festival with an energetic and highly polished performance of John Rutter’s Clap Your Hands followed by Moses Hogan’s arrangement of Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho. As the co-partner in this event, the LaGrange College choral singers set a high standard for the choirs that followed and assured the audience of a splendid afternoon of great choral music!
Outstanding youth, high school, collegiate and adult choirs sang with polished sophistication, exceptional musicianship, remarkable maturity, and stunning stage presence. The audience was mesmerized and thoroughly entranced as one spectacular performance following yet another. The excitement was palatable throughout the entire hall as each choir shared refined performances offering a wide and interesting variety in both choral literature and styles:
The second half of the concert featured the collaborative 2019 Festival Choir which joined all two hundred sixty five singers together on stage under the direction of LaGrange native and guest director Dr. Oliver N. Greene, Jr., Andrew Harry was festival accompanist for this event.
John Leavitt’s celebratory Festival Sanctus, energized and overwhelmed the hall with the sheer power of the sound of these voices joined together in wondrous choral harmony under Dr. Greene’s expert, sensitive and yet robust direction. It was truly an “out of body” experience! The addition of a superb LaGrange College percussion ensemble added a sparkling vibrant quality to this well known and exciting composition.
Dr. Greene followed the opening number with Dr. Roland Carter’s arrangement of Ride On Jesus which infused depth, contrast and a unique a cappella approach to this less known but none-the-less fascinating old African American spiritual.
As noted, all two hundred sixty five singers were on stage during this portion of the concert. The youth and middle school choirs participated beautifully but their tender and lovely introduction in Mack Wilberg’s arrangement of He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands was stunningly simple yet so profound causing a hush to envelope the entire hall at that moment when they began to sing those old familiar words and tune. This was an ideal and most fitting closing number for a perfectly wonderful afternoon of music making together. It brought to fruition in both word and music, the power of many voices joined in harmony, for just that one moment in time, together as one voice, without regard to race, creed, age, religion or beliefs…….it was a joyous musical community event and a great tribute and triumph for all those involved……since the inaugural concert four years ago, this The West Georgia Choral Arts Festival continues to grow, prosper, and offer singers and supporters an opportunity to celebrate the value, heart, soul and transformative power of choral music….of singing together….of being in true harmony with one another.
“Choral music is not one of life’s frills. It’s something that goes to the very heart of our humanity, our sense of community, and our souls. You express, when you sing, your soul in song. And when you get together with a group of other singers, it becomes more than the sum of the parts.
All of those people are pouring out their hearts and souls in perfect harmony, which is kind of an emblem for what we need in this world, when so much of the world is at odds with itself….that just to express, in symbolic terms, what it’s like when human beings are in harmony. That’s a lesson for our times and for all time…..and that’s a value that goes beyond the music itself.” John Rutter, Anglican Composer/Conductor
This concert of Praise, Thanksgiving and Remembrance at First Presbyterian church, was the perfect event to attend in this season of reflection. (You will see numerous photos from the Saturday night performance below.) Artistic director, Bettie Biggs, put together a wonderfully full program. The opening procession was a surprise, and the experience of such a full sound of voices in the beautiful sanctuary was angelic. With the chiming of the hours, and WGCS president, Rickey Basko reciting the Lincoln Proclamation, the concert began. Special guests on the program were: The Reverend Dr. John Beyers, narrator, The West Georgia Brass Quintet, and Marcia Taber, cello. The Choral Society of West Georgia accompanist on piano and organ was Andrew Harry. Soloists included Ed Biggs, Tenor, and Ginger Burdo, Soprano. The concert included numbers with Jason Hernandez on Percussion, Sim Crisler on Bass, and Christine Lightholder on piano. (Click any image to easily advance through photos. You can also choose “full-screen” to view larger)
The Choral Society of West Georgia marked its final concert of the 2018-19 season on Sunday May 6th featuring Bel Canto LaGrange Women’s Ensemble. This unique choir under the direction of artistic director, Bettie Biggs features choral music specifically arranged and performed for treble choirs highlighting the beauty of women’s voices in concert.
A Southern Serenade to Spring celebrated the diversity and beauty of music originating from the South. From the Appalachians to the Mississippi Delta, these songs were a tribute to the music which sprang from the rich resources of the Southern homelands. A wide variety of pieces were performed from lonesome mountain love ballads to the soul stirring music of the African American spiritual.
Joining Bel Canto this year was the unique Atlanta based instrumental duo known as Bow and Banjo. Featuring Erica Ransbottom on cello and Jody Hughes on banjo, these superb musicians were a perfect compliment to the choral performances of the afternoon. The instrumental blend of two rarely heard instruments together added an interesting and rich contrast to the entire program.
Featuring Cindy Brown on piano, Rick Adams, guest commentator, and Sim Crisler, percussion the large audience was completely entertained on a glorious spring afternoon. To perfectly compliment the concert, performers and audience members attended a reception in the St. Mark’s Parish Hall immediately following the performance.
Here are a few photos from this wonderful event.
The festival concert, was held at 4:00 p.m. in the Callaway Auditorium on Saturday March 10th, 2018. As part of the Choral Society’s community outreach commitment, the event was free and open to the public. This project was co-sponsored with the LaGrange College Department of Music.
For the singers, the festival day began with morning rehearsals. They spent the first half of the day reviewing and rehearsing the music that would be performed that afternoon. Each director chose two selections which would best represent their choir’s skills and talents. The day was divided into a morning session, a lunch break, and a collaborative afternoon session under the direction of the guest director, Dr. Michelle Herring-Folta. The full formal concert was the result of excellent preparation, extensive planning and outstanding musicianship. Working together in such a fashion builds camaraderie as well as a network for these talented singers from our local area. Singing can be a life-long fulfillment as was testament onstage. While the choirs spanned a variety of generations, they became one united entity for the final collaborative performance.
This year, the noted guest director was Dr. Michelle Herring-Folta. Dr. Herring-Folta is the assistant professor of choral/general music education at Columbus State University and the artistic director for the Voices of the Valley Children’s Chorus. Dr. Herring-Folta earned her Ph.D. in Music Education at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas. Previous degrees include a Bachelor’s degree in Music Studies from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master’s degree in Music Education from the University of North Texas.
2018 West Georgia Choral Festival Choirs:
LaGrange College Chamber Choir, Dr. Beth Everett, Director; Diane Voegtlin, piano
Faithful Hearts Women’s Ensemble, Sandy Blair, Director
Masterworks Chorale, Kathy Bizarth, Director; Andrew Harry, piano
Phi Mu Alpha Men’s Ensemble of Columbus State University, Joshua Partridge, Director
Lafayette Christian School Chorale, Darlene Shaw, Director/piano with Jalen Smith, Assistant Director
Voices of the Valley Children’s Community Chorus, Dr. Michelle Herring-Folta, Director; Sam Brown, piano
The Choral Society of West Georgia, Elizabeth W. Biggs, Director; Ken Bailey, Associate Director; Andrew Harry, piano; Jason Hernandez, percussion
The 2018 Festival Chorus, under the direction of Dr. Michelle Herring-Folta with Sam Brown, piano and Jason Hernandez, percussion, performed the following pieces:
The Music of Living – Dan Forrest
Distant Land – John Rutter
He Never Failed Me Yet – Robert Ray with Caleb Brown and Landon Bell, soloists
The choirs, individually, performed exceptionally well. Each one was musically unique, well prepared, and presented an outstanding variety of literature, genre, and voicings. Collaboratively, the final choral presentation was simply spectacular in size, scope and success.
Two hundred and forty five singers completely draped the stage at Callaway Auditorium, as seen in the photos. The sheer joy of this extraordinary musical experience was truly evident on the faces of the singers, instrumentalists and Dr. Herring-Folta. She directed with enormous sensitivity, control and experience. Her choice of literature for the festival choir showcased their ability to perform with energy, power, contrast, and great musical nuance. As an audience member, the combined force of listening to these voices was staggering. One could audibly hear the audience’s intake of breath when the first two chords were sung. There was no doubt that many of the listeners wished they could become a part of such an endeavor.
With a standing ovation and three encores, the 2018 West Georgia Choral Arts Festival was a truly sublime and remarkable community choral event and further substantiates the transformative power of people united together through word and song.
“To sing like this, in the company of other souls, and to make those consonants slip out so easily and in unison, and to make those chords so rich that they bring tears to your eyes. This is transcendence. This is the power that choral singing has that other music can only dream of –”
Garrison Keillor, American humorist, writer and avid choir member….
Presented by the Choral Society of West Georgia and the LaGrange College Music Department, this Choral Arts Festival is sponsored in part through the generosity of The West Point Fund, InterfaceFlor, and the Choral Society of West Georgia.
A wonderful 1940’s Canteen Style CelebrationThe evening was complete with an All-American Victory dinner and drinks by Kimbles, the Big Band sounds of the Auburn Knights Orchestra, Carol Cain as Rosie the Riveter, and the great popular songs of the 1940’s performed by the Choral Society of West Georgia. All area World War II Veterans and spouses were invited to be Guests of Honor at no charge.
Held at the Callaway Conference Center in LaGrange, Georgia, the evening began with much conversation about the memorabilia and historic newspapers from the WWII era that were displayed in the vestibule. Upon entering the ballroom, tables were designated with names of forts and decorated with period items. Each setting had a program which gave a glimpse into the full night of entertainment to come. Drinks and dinner were quickly served while lively conversation continued. Six projectors smoothly faded between photos from that time. Everywhere you looked, the mood was enhanced with patriotic decorations.
The Choral Society of West Georgia filled the stage, the Auburn Knights Orchestra took their places and the show began. Song after song interspersed with appearances by Rosie the Riveter kept the audience’s attention with both listening and dancing. There was a great deal of audience participation as a large dance area was filled on numerous occasions and everyone was asked to sing along with several songs.
World War II Veterans in attendance were individually announced and asked to stand while the audience enthusiastically gave their heartfelt appreciation. This was a great highlight and everyone felt honored to be in the presence of so many WWII Veterans from different branches of the armed forces.
A superbly successful evening with many, many comments by guests stating that they had a truly enjoyable and full evening of entertainment, dancing and dinner. Over 300 guests in attendance and eleven World War II Veterans honored.
Here are a few photos from the evening:
By Alicia B. Hill
alicia.hill@lagrangenews.com
LaGRANGE – This year’s annual Choral Arts Festival was fantastic in both the quality and quantity of performers who took part. The West Georgia Choral Arts Festival began with the Point University Concert Choir led by Dr. Byron Cartwright followed by the ever-popular Young Singers of West Georgia led by Stacey Hardigree.
“Stacey Hardigree is in her 15th season as their artistic director,” said Program Director Elizabeth Biggs. “Their mission is to lead students to discover their potential in music, shape their talented minds and think artistically, to enrich their lives by providing opportunities to recognize beauty.”
The Sons of LaFayette sang next, led by Young Singers alum, recognized singer and newly announced assistant director Jalen Smith. The group has been under the direction of Dr. Beth Everett from LaGrange College for several months and is currently preparing for their spring season concerts. The LaGrange High School Chorus led by Katie Trent came next, followed by the Faithful Hearts Women’s Ensemble led by Sandy Blair.
The perhaps lesser- known in the area, but equally moving Voices of the Valley Children’s Chorus followed with some African inspired selections. “Their vision is to inspire young singers to become lifelong lovers of music through their choral experience and community engagement,” said Biggs. The last single group of the concert was the Choral Society of West Georgia, led by Biggs, which performed a piece composed by local police detective – Robert Kirby – titled “Prayer of Serenity.” Kirby’s wife, Kathy, accompanied the song on oboe.
The concert closed with a performance by the approximately 275-member Festival Chorus which was made up of all the choral groups taking part in the festival. The performance truly blew the audience away with beautiful renditions of three songs directed by Dr. Byron Cartwright.
An exciting adventure with performances in both Belfast and Dublin, which took place on July 2-10, 2016.In July 2016, several members of the Choral Society of West Georgia traveled to Ireland to perform collaborative concerts in Saint Patrick’s Cathedral Catholic Church in Belfast and Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin. The director of the performances was Dr. Janet Galvan, of Ithica, New York. Also performing were singers from the Trinity College Chorale (Perth, Australia), Mercedes College (Perth, Australia), and Princeton Girlchoir (New Jersey, USA).
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Saturday February 27, 2016 at 4:00 p.m.
Callaway Auditorium at LaGrange College
Guest Conductor: Dr. Beth Everett, LaGrange College Director of Choral Studies
Free admission!
The LaGrange Civic Chorale again teamed with the Fidelity Jazz Quartet for a Valentine’s Night event filled with great American love songs at the Highland Country Club on Saturday, February 14, 2015. The Highland Country Club created a perfect Valentine’s dinner buffet including a bottle of wine for every couple, and in conjunction with the concert and dancing, the evening was enjoyable for everyone.