While vast improvements have been made to Skoglund since my days on the hill (the newer stadium seats are much more comfortable than the old wooden, backless bleachers), it's still kind of ridiculous to me that a music program the caliber of St. Olaf's has no large performance space built intentionally with acoustical quality in mind. Essentially, I've decided it's time to get the Christmas festival out of the gym, and so, I will henceforth end every Christmas Festival experience with this cry that hopes for the next experience to occur in its rightful place.
But I digress - obviously, I actually got tickets this year and spent Thursday night in Northfield. I refuse to eat lutefisk and was jonesing for Hogan Brothers anyway, so we got to town early enough to grab dinner there. Little did I know Northfield was having its annual holiday night on the town - Division St. was totally closed and turned into a pedestrian mall, and everyplace was packed. The line at Hogan Bros was so long that people who were in the front of it when we arrived were done eating by the time we placed our order and were looking for a place to sit!
At least we had some entertainment - while we were waiting in line, in an "only in Northfield" kind of moment, this group of carolers came in to the cafe. Caroling in itself not so unusual for this time of year, on this kind of night - what made it "only in Northfield" was the perfectly balanced and blended four part harmony they had going on (like a mini, roving St. Olaf Choir), AND the fact that a bunch of people in the cafe (myself included) joined them, in four part harmony, without the benefit of music or lyrics.
The Festival itself was particularly excellent this year. They used some liturgical dancers at the beginning, which was a nice visual element to incorporate; they also made some very creative interpretive choices (like on F. Melius' setting of Praise to the Lord, which was sung as a mass choir piece - instead of having the whole group sing the whole time as has been done in the past, it started with the Ole choir, then added Cantorei, then Chapel, then Viking and Manitou, so it kept building and building until everyone was joining in the glad adoration - gives me goosebumps just thinking about it again!); and the musical selection overall was varied and interesting, including a moving rendition of "E'en So Lord Jesus Quickly Come," sung in loving memory of Paul Manz.
Christopher Aspaas is also new since my days in Norway Valley, but I am greatly impressed with him and especially fond of his selections for Chapel Choir and Viking Chorus, and not just because he had them sing my Christmas Eve psych up song:
[This was the only youtube video I could find for this - this choir is ok, but the Chapel Choir was better! The version I listen to on Christmas Eve is this one by the Dale Warland Singers, which is indubitably the best! :) ]
In any case, the other pieces they sang (the rest of which were new to me) were also very enjoyable. I think he's a valuable addition to the faculty, and look forward to hearing what he does with these choirs in the future. . .hopefully in a new recital hall! :)
Happy Advent,
C.
2 comments:
I missed Xmas Fest again this year. In fact, I haven't been back since I sang in it. But, oh, I'm writing re the performance hall point. On the one hand, YES, we totally need one -- and will get one at some point. But, on the other hand, there's no way it's going to seat the 3,000 plus that xmas fest demands. The acoustics in Boe Chapel, now, are really sound and if they valued acoustics over sheer numbers of attendees then they'd move it there. But we're never going to have a dedicated performance hall for that many -- it'd seat every student! Just thought I'd put in my two cents. Oh, and Aspaas is a real gem.
Adam,
You are right, a hall to handle Xmas Fest would be a behemoth, and would probably only be used that one time a year - not very good stewardship. Still, a girl can dream, no? :)
I would actually be content just to see a decent sized hall for a "normal" crowd at a regular choir, band, or orchestra concert. I think that'd provide a more enjoyable experience for the musicians and the audience alike. I haven't heard a concert in Boe since the renovations, so I'll take your word that the acoustics are indeed much improved. But that still leaves the band and the orchestra stuck playing in the gym.
So, I'll keep wishin' and hopin' for a real large performance hall. :)
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