Several days ago, I viewed the holiday concert of Westminster Choir College, at the suggestion of a Carthage music colleague who did some of his graduate study there. There were things about it that were quite impressive (and a moment or two that were downright amazing, visually). In fact, it was like an extravagantly-produced music video- a feat of technical brilliance. By the way, with the exception of one rather small group, all of the choirs sang in completely virtual fashion- that is, not in the same room, but with each singer offering up their own pre-recorded contribution in the privacy of their own space, with all of the individual recordings combined after the fact into what is commonly known as a Virtual Choir. The vast majority of music-making seen and heard on this program was of this nature … which may be why they opted for such luxuriant optics produced with a fastidious attention to every technical detail. The result, by many measures, was quite impressive, the kind of program which leaves you saying WOW. I’ve made a point of watching a few such concerts – including the beautiful program from my alma mater, Luther College – but for visual razzle-dazzle, Westminster’s took the gold medal among the concerts I have watched. 
But strangely enough, watching Westminster’s program made me want to circle back to the rough draft video of Carthage’s Christmas Festival 2020, which was shared with the public the second weekend in December. It’s hard to imagine a presentation more opposite of the Westminster program. Instead of a dazzlingly-produced 90-minute music video – or a cavalcade of clips from past Christmas concerts, as some colleges did – Carthage chose to share something as close to our ‘normal’ Christmas Festival as we could hope to achieve within the restrictions of the COVID pandemic. With the exception of the audience carols, every single bit of singing was ‘real’ in the sense that the members of the choir sang together in the same room, physically spaced and masked (of course) but singing in each other’s presence, which represents what occurred through the course of the semester. We made the determination that our singers could rehearse together and perform together safely if strict guidelines and restrictions were followed, and that’s what we did- so it made all the sense in the world for the Christmas Festival to spring out of that. Of course, it was not exactly the same as the Christmas Festivals of years past- and perhaps the single most significant difference was the lack of any audience whatsoever. This was underscored for me the day I walked into Siebert Chapel and found that the pews on the ground level had been shrouded under black fabric, so the images beamed into people’s homes would not be dominated by the sad sight of empty pews. It is a detail that I’m sure I would never have thought of, but I’m glad that someone did. (That someone who thought of it, I am guessing, was Dr. Peter Dennee, a colleague of mine on the music faculty and the director of this annual production, who keeps track of a million details much better than I ever could.)
Otherwise, it was Siebert Chapel as we have always known it – and for the Carthage Choir, it was one of two spaces where the group had gathered for rehearsals over the course of this extraordinary semester. (There were a couple of other spaces in which we could hold sectional rehearsals, but the Chapel was one of only two spaces deemed safe – because of their size and air exchange rates – for the full ensemble to gather in and sing together.) Years from now, when I think back to the roughly twelve months when we lived and worked during the height of this pandemic, I think I will most vividly remember those Carthage Choir rehearsals in Siebert Chapel – with Dr. Garcia-Novelli’s meticulous attention to the safety of his singers, and the earnest efforts of our students to adhere to all of the restrictions put in place for their own good. It was hard, to be sure, to sing while masked- and to be unable to stand close to each other. But at least we were a choir, making music together- and I cherish the memory of every one of those rehearsals. Moreover, the choir tackled music of daunting difficulty and managed to master it to a degree that was truly astounding. When they look back on this time, they can do so with tremendous pride.
As for the presentation of Carthage’s 2020 Christmas Festival, I’m actually relieved that it wasn’t a more flamboyantly “produced” extravaganza – because if it had been, I think I would have watched it and thought to myself “Wow! Whoever put this video together was really talented and skilled.” And if our own students would have watched such a presentation, I think their reaction would have been the same – that it was an impressive showcase of somebody’s technological facility rather than a showcase of what the students themselves had managed to achieve under deeply challenging circumstances. For me, our program was a document of what this whole fall semester was like- and of how all of us, students and faculty alike, did our very best to rise above the adversity that came at us from every side. In the end, the music emerged triumphantly- defiantly.
By the way, I’m especially proud of those groups who were called upon to record their portions of the Christmas Festival in early October. My Lincoln Chamber Singers were one of those groups- and since our weekly rehearsal time is by far the shortest of any of the ensembles, it was a somewhat frantic race to the finish line to have our three pieces fully prepared and polished so early in the semester. That we managed to do what we did is a testament to the tremendous skill and devotion of the students who comprise the group. They may not sing Rock Music or anything remotely resembling it, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t Rock Stars in my book! And that goes for all of the other young Carthage musicians who went above and beyond during this challenging semester.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the ‘audience carols’ that were such a powerful and poignant addition to the proceedings. Unlike everything performed by the choral and instrumental ensembles, the carols were done virtually – with a combination of current students, alumni, and even President John Swallow and First Lady Cameron Swallow contributing their voices, all masterfully combined by my tireless colleague Dimitri Shapovalov. I was not prepared for how deeply moving this part of the program would be. If anything, I was a bit skeptical, I suppose because I am one of those proverbial Old Dogs who hates to learn New Tricks. Virtual Choirs are such a ‘New Trick’ for me, and while they can be sublimely beautiful, they really don’t amount to choral music or a choral music experience … particularly for those who are singing.
And yet ….
And yet, these three audience carols …. completely virtual …. had me crying very real tears almost from the first measure to the last. What was especially touching was to see the faces of alumni interspersed with current students. At one point, for instance, there was the face of Robert (Mulder) Harriff, a 1996 Carthage graduate, next to the face of London Roysden, who will graduate from Carthage more than 25 years later – two of the finest sopranos with whom I have had the pleasure of working in one way or another during my time at Carthage. These two women have never met – and chances are that they never will …. and yet their beautiful soprano voices were joined together with hundreds of others in a moment of supreme beauty and poignancy. I think what has only slowly begun to dawn on me is that to participate in such a Virtual Choir is an act of trust; you are taking the time to record your solitary voice in a solitary room in the hope that it will find its way into the mix with hundreds and hundreds of other voices.
It was just one more reminder that Music …. like Love …. finds a way through every barrier, over every mountain, out of every difficulty. I have always believed that to be true- but after this fall, I absolutely know that to be true.
