Photo by John Kish IV
March 29 & 30
The resounding harmonies of a choir represent some of humanity’s most beautiful music, taking singers and listeners out of themselves to be part of something larger. At Lehigh University, the choral arts program celebrates its 150-year longevity, not only this month but all year round, presenting music from students and community members steeped in the long tradition of an ancient art.
Lehigh’s choir started from humble beginnings. A group of men sang at chapel services, university events and what must have been a jubilant tradition: the burning of calculus books at semester’s end. This month’s Shine On concert follows the evolution from an 1800s men’s barbershop octet and mandolin club through to the present, as Lehigh’s choral program grew to be known as a center for new music and host of the biannual Choral Composer Forum. Artistic director Steven Sametz, one of only five in the program’s span, joined in 1979, just after the inclusion of women to the university and its choir.
“We practiced in the basement under the wrestling hall,” Sametz says, before the Zoellner Arts Center was built, but he’s watched this garden grow in surprising ways. The resonance and beauty of live choral music is enough in itself, but Lehigh’s program doesn’t rest there. “We’re redefining choral music,” says Sametz, who has ventured into collaborative concerts with dance and theater components. “It’s no longer just people standing with black folders singing at you.” He also introduced the Choral Union at Lehigh, a community choir that anyone can join with no audition.
Events celebrating this landmark anniversary continue all year long, including the intense Carmina Burana in May. Make plans to attend a concert and allow yourself to be transformed by the union of community and art.
$18 | 8 p.m. | Baker Hall | Zoellner Arts Center | 420 Packer Ave., Bethlehem | 610.758.2787 | zoellner.cas2.lehigh.edu
