Nevada Community Choir Review: Hooray! Some stars are born!
So what if the weather was a tad nippy the night, this past Thursday, our Community Choir held the dress rehearsal for its "Spring Fling" at the Fox Theater downtown? So what if there were only 19 singers on stage? Under the exuberant leadership of newcomer Bill Martin, who provided a light-hearted running commentary between the 19 songs in the program, the head-turning competence of newcomer piano accompanist Jennifer Schneringer, and a wonderfully novel selection of many sweet and lilting spring songs we haven't heard before, the Choir's 75-minute paean to the season will bring a tear to your eye and knock your socks off -- at the same time.
First off, you've got to give great credit to director Martin for creating an original woven fabric of pertinent, not-often-sung ditties. The concert begins, quite naturally, with a choral arrangement of the Spring section of Vivaldi's "The Seasons."
But, next, we're back in the 17th century, and listening to Thomas Morley's "It was a Lover and his Lass" (surely accompanied by a lute when it was first sung). Then we're in the 19th century listening to Elizabeth Barrett Browning singing (well, only figuratively, don't you know) her famous "How Do I Love Thee" to an immensely pleased hubby Robert lounging on a couch across the room. Well, enough of this fantasizing!
Next, we have director Martin's nifty selection of songs about the weather, surely appropriate when singing about apring. ("Spring showers Bring May Flowers," remember?). Mr. Martin's "Last Night it Rained" is followed by Joyce Eilers's "Send down the Rain," beautifully soloed by Paula Gray. Well, of course, after the rain comes the sun, and "Let the Sun Shine In" is followed by Dan Keller's strong, self-confident solo of John Denver's glorious "Sunshine on my Shoulder." (Gosh, anyone here remember the 1960s?).
What naturally follows is a trilogy of songs about rainbows. First is -- yes, you guessed it -- Harold Arlen's gift to Judy, "Over the Rainbow," followed by Arthur Hamilton's little-known "Sing a Rainbow." "Rainbow Connection," by Paul Williams (Wasn't he the short fat guy who appeared on TV in the 60's and had quite a knack for writing gorgeous songs for Barbra Streisand, among others?). The soloist for rainbows is Sylvia Martin (Yes, related to director Bill by marriage), and she sounds splendid, indeed.
Bringing us to intermission is Todd Weber singing "Movin' On" and Teresa Sword fluting like gangbusters.
After a short break, the Choir resumes, with Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer's "Moon River," my hands-down choice for most beautiful American song of the 20th century (My God, just listen to the lyrics, my Huckleberry friend!) A quick shift, and maybe we're at a camp meeting amidst a hundred religiously ardent black folks, sending their soulful fervor up through the trees and into the sky. Teresa Sword lets her powerful voice ring out, in "Wade in the Water," and the whole Choir lets loose with that familiar old spiritual, "Down by the Riverside." Praise be!
As a kind of coda to the whole performance, Mr. Martin has chosen a medley of appropriately whimsical, shall-we-call-them Baseball Songs, beginning with -- what else? -- "Take me out to the Ballgame," which is followed by the appropriate shenanigans accompanying Clark Gesner's "The Baseball Game," performed by -- yes, you guessed 'er, Chester -- Bill Martin.
The concert closes with Cat Stevens's arrangement of that beautiful folk song, "Morning Has Broken" and Natalie Sleeth's "Joy in the Morning." Amen to it all!
The audience for the dress rehearsal I attended couldn't have thrilled a choir, its director and accompanist more. There were about 20 high school kids, boys and girls, and after each song, they set up a noisy whoop of appreciation that I haven't heard matched since I visited the old Brooklyn Dodgers playing the Yankees in Ebbetts Field..
Of course, they're not likely to be there when you're in the audience. Too bad! What will be there, however, when you're part of the audience, is this wonderful new director Bill Martin and his wife Sylvia (Welcome to Nevada, y'all!), the new accompanist Jennifer Schneringer (Welcome!), who tickles the ivories like nobody's business, and a whole gang of new voices. It's a group of singers who make up for their relatively small number by really learning their music, then so whole-heartedly and self-confidently throwing themselves into the music that if you close your eyes, you'd swear the whole Mormon Tabernacle Choir was squeezed onto the stage. Oh, yeah, you've got to go to this one!
Say, listen, do you realize just how gifted the little town of Nevada is when it comes to live music?
Not only all the high school choirs and the church choirs, but the Cottey choirs and all the musical performers the College brings to Nevada and makes available to everyone who cares a smidgeon for music. And, finally, there's the Nevada Community Choir, still thriving after some 35 years! For a town this size, you've got to figure Gabriel's looking down on us.
"Spring Fling," generously sponsored by the Neal and Nora Quitno family, opened Friday, March 5, and will be presented Saturday, March 6, in the Fox Theater, 110 S. Main St., Nevada, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, March 7, at 2 pm.
The show is an eye-opener and a delight for your ears.