A note from Conductor Piero Bonamico
2007-05-16 13:03:40 - Back
I would like to report on the Randolph Singers successful trip to Jamestown, Virginia where we performed at America’s 400th Anniversary Weekend, commemorating the 400th anniversary of the founding of the Jamestown settlement. The Singers performed at the anniversary’s signature event in a massive 1,607 voice choir alongside an orchestra of 400. The day of the even was long and featured two performances of the mass choir and one solo performance by the Singers on a satellite stage. Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor served as Honorary Chair and President George Bush was in attendance. The crowd was estimated at 30,000 and roared after each of the choirs songs! Among the 2000 performers on stage were people aged 13 to 93 and citizens from EVERY state in the union. The Randolph Singers were Vermont's exclusive representatives.
During our solo concert we sang music composed by Braintree's Gwyneth Walker and Vermont's Robert DeCormier to an enthusiastic audience. As an aside we were further able accommodate a group of singers from Issaquah, Washington whose solo concert was canceled as a result of delays surrounding the President's security. The singers now have a lot of great friends in Washington state and this act on our part symbolized the generous spirit that pervaded the entire event.
Our conductor Robert Schoup was absolutely fantastic and was able to get a 1,600-voice choir to maneuver as a 12-voice chamber ensemble. His note to the singers sums it up nicely:
"The singers elevated this event from the ultimate - 'y'all come' choir" - into an ensemble of meaningful musical and collegial unity. I could not imagine that so many different kinds of choruses from so many places could meet and be able to establish meaningful levels of rhythmic flexibility, tonal refinement, clear diction, or dynamic variety - and yet, these veryelements occurred with startling accuracy and reliability."
Although the primary focus of the trip was musical with a packed schedule of long rehearsals the Singers did have time to visit some of the area's historic sights. But mostly it was about the music and despite a LONG final day (5:45 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.) intermittent rain, and a lot of "hurry up and wait" there was a sense of mass euphoria unlike anything I have experienced in a musical event.
Images: (from upper left clockwise) approximately 1/3 of the 1607 voice choir, can you spot us; The singers on our tour bus; President Bush.