By: Alex Spindler ~Staff Writer~
As classes and projects come to a close for the spring semester, the Department of Music and Theatre is gearing up with a series of concerts and events as part of its Spring Music Festival. Having started on April 26, the Spring Music Festival features a number of departmental ensembles ranging from choral to instrumental that showcase the breadth of student work and talent. Additionally, there are other performing arts clubs and organizations that either have or will take part in the activities for the week.
In terms of choral ensembles, the men’s chorus, women’s chorus and concert choir performed on April 26 at the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption in Covington, Ky. The bevy of Xavier’s choirs performed Mozart’s uncompleted “Requiem Mass in D Minor” to a full house of patrons. The featured soloists for the piece were Xavier music faculty members Harriet Beebe Arrasmith, Maria Ventura, Chris Albanese and Thomas Dreeze.
Additionally, before the multiple choirs took the stage to sing “Requiem,” the piece that the concert choir performed earlier this semester with the Cincinnati Ballet, the Edgecliff Vocal Ensemble performed “Historia di Jephte” by Giacomo Carissimi. One of Xavier’s musical clubs, the all-male a capella group Harmon-X, crooned and swooned on April 28 in the Kennedy Auditorium. The group sang a number of songs from a variety of genres including classic rock and jazz to a very receptive audience.
Other performances part of the Spring Music Festival include the Chamber Orchestra’s concert at 7:30 p.m. on April 27, the Choral Department’s Spring Concert at 7:30 p.m. on April 29, the Symphonic Winds concert at 7:30 p.m. on April 30 and the “Latin Exposure” Jazz Ensemble and Percussion Ensemble concert at 7:30 p.m. on May 1, all in the Gallagher Student Center Theater. Admission is free to all of the concerts, and the doors open roughly 20 minutes prior to show time.
These concerts will conclude not only the Music Department’s canon of performances for the semester, but also some of the last activities going on before the beginning of university finals for students.