By Brandon Chin
Staff Writer
Big The St. Bonaventure Concert Choir and Concert Band performed to a warm reception from the audience that lasted until well after the show on March 13. Interwoven with Victoria- era light opera and constant wit, the style that began more than a century ago was seamlessly grafted onto the Bonaventure stage.
The Concert Choir’s “An Afternoon with Gilbert and Sullivan” continued the trend of diversity as seen in previous performances. Directed by artist-in-residence Kathryn Black, the homage to light operas of the late 19th and early 20th centuries did not have a dull moment. If the audience was not listening attentively, they were listening with bewilderment as the tongue-twisting “I am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General” and other impressive songs were performed.
“Onward, Christian Soldiers” served as a welcome and stark contrast to the previous suite of wit and light humor. Bold and more dramatic than its counterparts, the song tempered the shared theme of conflict and recollection that was flirted around in the previous songs.
The choir’s performance was captivating though short. The impact that it left on the audience would have been greater had they given a more proper introduction to Gilbert and Sullivan. This was however, a shared performance.
Dr. Leslie Sabina, professor of music, and the SBU Concert Band made a solid entrance with the piece, “Mill Mountain Vistas.” The gradual buildup from woodwind to brass to percussion instruments brought the excitement back up after the choir’s bow. “Knights of Destiny” was a peppy continuation to the general theme of the concert; however, when done with band instruments, it revealed another side to the energy of music.
The concert was a success overall; however, student attendance was lower than local community members’ attendance. The Bonnies that do attend these concerts remained close to the musicians, staying until well after the final note to congratulate their friends.
The next show in the Quick Center will be the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra Big Band on Tuesday, March 22 at 7 p.m. in the Rigas Family Theater of the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts.
chinbl15@bonaventure.edu
