Capital Region Performance Gallery

by Dick Frantzreb

It had been 5 years since I had experienced a concert by the Roseville Theatre Arts Academy (RTAA) Community Choir. I knew that the choir had gone through changes over that time, so I had no idea what to expect. I just knew I’d be surprised, and I certainly was ─ very pleasantly surprised.

As the audience entered the 600-seat Roseville Theatre, the choir were seated, spread in 2 rows over the darkened stage. There were 15 singers, 10 women and 5 men, nearly all dressed in jeans and black RTAA Community Choir t-shirts. Most seemed to be in their 30s or 40s, with maybe a few younger or older. Co-director, Sandra Gallegos was in the orchestra pit with pianist Carlos Fuentes and drummer Andy Sullivan. While the audience, eventually numbering about 120, was entering, nondescript instrumental music was playing softly. Three stage mics were spread in front of the singers. I studied the program and was surprised to find that nearly all the music was unfamiliar to me. Most were from recent Broadway shows, and half a dozen were from the albums of recording artists ─ with a couple of exceptions to be noted below.

(Click here to open the program in a new window.)

The concert started with the Pentatonix song, “Sing,” a fast-paced piece designed to get the audience’s feet tapping and blood circulating. Each singer had a music stand in front of them, and they sang from their scores throughout most of the afternoon. With the help of two well-performed incidental solos, the group delivered “Sing” with great energy and solid harmony, especially noticeable during a brief section when the piano was silent or playing softly.

After this first number, we were greeted by Co-director Gallegos from the orchestra pit in the first of her cheerful introductions and comments between about every 2 songs. After her greeting, she explained that the RTAA Community Choir was committed to diversity in their musical selections and that they would now perform “our classical piece,” Morten Lauridsen’s “Sure on This Shining Night” ─ the only part of the program that was familiar to me, since I'd heard it performed on several occasions.

As they began “Sure on This Shining Night,” I was impressed by the solid, controlled sound from the 5 men in the choir. As they were joined by the women, I was aware of the pleasing harmony they were producing and their sensitive interpretation of the music. The audience was as impressed as I because they interrupted with applause before the piece was finished. Actually, the interruption was understandable because it followed a long fermata before the closing measures of the music. And when it was finished, Gallegos good-naturedly explained why people were confused, and she pointed out the importance of holding applause until the director’s arms fall to their side.

I’ll insert here that the piano work this afternoon was outstanding. Carlos Fuentes had difficult scores with a wide variety of styles. His confident and expressive playing certainly bolstered the confidence of the singers, and enriched the audience’s experience.

The first solo on the program was next, “The Girl in 14G.” I did a little post-concert research and found that the song was written for Kristen Chenoweth (Glinda in the original Wicked cast) and was based on her real-life experience of living in an apartment with musician neighbors making too much noise. In the lyrics, the problems are a wanna-be opera singer in the apartment below and a jazz singer in the apartment above. But I didn’t have that information when Paulina Ramirez started singing. She began this song with personality and a great comic sense. But when she turned on the imitation of the opera singer, I was completely blown away because she displayed a big, accurate classical voice, obviously the result of years of training. Her later imitation of jazz singing was equally authentic, and by the time she concluded, I realized that I was listening to a Broadway-ready entertainer.

The program states that the next piece, “Underneath the Stars,” was recorded by Voces8. This is an a cappella octet from the UK, and the choir sang an arrangement of the song with a light piano accompaniment. It was a pleasant, often lulling contemporary composition with what seemed to me like some difficult rhythms. And as I listened, I was again especially aware of the good harmony produced by these singers, accented by a pleasing, extended a cappella solo by Amberly Sokoloff. At the conclusion of the song, Gallegos commented that this “chamber choir” selection was the group’s favorite, and she advised us to check out the work of Voces8.

Next up was another comic piece, this time presented by the trio of Megan Hoyt, Pauline Ramirez and Amberly Sokoloff. I was a little surprised that each of them were holding music scores, but they turned out to be props, as each singer deftly brought out the comic lyrics in “I Know It’s Today” from Shrek, The Musical. Eventually, three excellent solo voices joined for solid harmony.

The choir continued with “Waving Through a Window” from the musical, Dear Evan Hansen. This song featured brief introductory solos from Richard Breuer, Kevin Long and Dan Clifford, all delivered with good articulation and great spirit. As the men were joined by the rest of the choir, it occurred to me how multi-faceted this piece was and how it required great discipline to learn and perform (which, come to think of it, was true of everything on this afternoon’s program). Bottom line, though, was that the song seemed as fun for the performers as it was for us in the audience.

Another solo followed, this time with Jennifer Purviance singing “Everything Else” from Next to Normal. This was another humorous song, which Jennifer performed from memory and with lots of personality.  And with the backing of a strong piano accompaniment, the piece really connected with the audience.

The first half of the concert closed out with “I’m Alive,” also from Next to Normal. It was an energetic, up-tempo tune, really rock music to my mind, enhanced by some great drumming from Andy Sullivan.

The first song after intermission was “Fix You,” as recorded by Coldplay. Since I’d not heard it before, I paid close attention. The music seemed gentle and introspective (at least at the start, which I confirmed by checking Coldplay’s video of the song). Also, I found the lyrics intriguing, though I got only a fraction of them. I’ve seen other choruses put their lyrics online, and then give the audience a QR Code in the program, so they can follow along on their phones in a darkened auditorium.  That would have been a great help this afternoon.

At this point in the concert, Co-director Gallegos came onto the stage to sing a duet with her real-life partner, Co-director Kevin Long. (Amberly Sokoloff took over the piano to accompany them.) The music was “I’d Give It All for You” from Songs for a New World, a sentimental but sophisticated song, performed with flair by this couple, who with a little staging could have transferred it directly to the musical theatre stage. I have to add that I was impressed by Long’s smooth transition to head voice during his part (not surprising, since I later learned that he is a professional singer).

I didn’t make many notes for “Beautiful City,” from Godspell, except to note that it was arranged by Amberly Sokoloff.

It turns out that Amberly Sokoloff is RTAA Community Choir’s “utility player” because besides arranging and accompanying, she was about to solo. The music was “No One Else” from the musical, The Great Comet of 1812. Amberly performed from memory, and I was impressed with, not just her vocal control and beautiful tone, but her expressiveness. It wasn’t just singing a song; it was a performance (as were all the solo numbers in this concert). Scanning the people on the stage, I’d say that the Roseville Theatre Arts Academy has a lot of talent to draw on when they cast their next musical.

The next offering was another surprise in this afternoon of surprises. I had forgotten that there was a song in The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring. It’s “May It Be,” and I found out later that it was co-written by Enya (and her producer Nicky Ryan and Roma Ryan, her lyricist). What we heard this afternoon was the version arranged for a mixed chorus. And before it began, we were given the two “Elfin” lyrics and their translation. Perceiving its difference from the other music in the concert, I found this very pleasant song to have more traditional harmonies, written more in the style of a ballad. Again, I was especially impressed with the blending of the men’s voices.

I want to add one more thought that occurred to me while I was watching this piece being performed. My attention throughout the concert kept returning to the woman in the middle of the first row, who was usually smiling or moving to the beat of the music. She was “alive” and obviously relishing her experience in a way that connected directly to the audience or at least to this audience member.

Like each of the other soloists, Megan Hoyt put that extra element of personality into her song, “Being Alive” from the musical Company. With a green striped banner projected behind her (I don’t recall any other projections), she gave us a strong listenable voice, emphasizing the lyrics so that we got the message of the music better than for just about any other selection on the program. She gradually added emotion as the song built to a climax, making me write in my notes that she “really sold it.”

“Rewrite the Stars” from The Greatest Showman was next up, performed by sister and brother, Jessica and Dan Clifford. With Dan starting a cappella, the rock beat became more apparent as Jessica joined, and the syncopation (briefly lost) took over, making for a performance with spirit-lifting energy.

Once again, I didn’t have notes about the Coldplay song, “A Sky Full of Stars.”

The program ended with the high-energy, “Dynamite” as recorded by the K-POP group, BTS. With a repeated lyric “Dyn-na-na-na, na-na-na-na, ayy” and an insistent heavy beat, it was a happy, high-spirited concert closer. Various members of the choir clapped to the beat to try to get the audience to join them. And a significant part of the audience did clap in the second half of the song.  Of course, there was enthusiastic applause at the close of the piece.  Then with the audience still in place, there were gifts, thanks, and tributes to the key people behind the concert.

Singing pop music in an ensemble is difficult, especially when the harmonies are challenging, and the lyrics are dense. But after months of hard work, these people met these challenges this afternoon, helped largely by the fact that most of them are apparently strong individual singers. My only disappointment was that the ensemble was often overbalanced by the piano and drums. I didn’t feel that the 3 stage mics did sufficient justice to the quality of their singing. It would have been ideal if they each could have been individually miked (a technical nightmare?) or at least have a bigger set of overhead mics.

All that aside, what I heard this afternoon from the Roseville Theatre Arts Academy Community Choir was a very pleasant surprise. They are a living advertisement for the joy of singing.

There is more information about the Community Choir at this link.  Registration for their fall season is open now, with the first of their Monday-night rehearsals coming on August 22.