Capital Region Performance Gallery

by Dick Frantzreb

What can you expect from a concert by the Sacramento Children's Chorus (SCC)? For one thing, don't expect a familiar formula, because there isn't one: I've been to many of their concerts in recent years and each one surprised me in one way or another. What you can expect is an excellent choral concert ― and that is certainly what I experienced on this Sunday afternoon at St. John's Lutheran Church in Sacramento. And in departing the church at the conclusion of the concert, I spoke to a number of other concert-goers who agreed that we had shared a delightful afternoon of singing.

So... what was so good about this concert? First, it was the music itself. I have attended probably a couple hundred choral concerts in the past 7 years, and on this occasion I heard music ― delightful, interesting, satisfying music ― that I'd never heard before. At the same time, there were many familiar songs that were as welcome as a visit from an old friend.

But it wasn't just the music, but the way it was performed that made this an engaging hour-and-a-half for me. These young people were well-rehearsed, and both confident and attentive as they sang everything from memory. I watched their mouths and realized that they were working to articulate the lyrics and were in perfect sync with one another. And with the guidance of their directors, they brought out the emotional content of each song: the beauty, the drama, the energy, the wistfulness ― whatever was required.

Then there's something else: the spirit of the performance. You scan these young faces as they stand and sing in front of you, and you see more than you're hearing. You see ― not on all, but on many faces ― the joy of self-expression, of giving a little part of oneself for the enjoyment of others. Or you see courage, or camaraderie, or the joy of discovery when you really get the import of what you're singing. Of course, I've seen all this in other choral concerts, but it's been no less evident with the Sacramento Children's Chorus. When you go to one of their concerts, you get an excellent choral experience, plus the special joy that comes from watching a young person try and succeed.

To get things started this afternoon, the audience was greeted by SCC Executive Director, Daphne Quist, who spoke about upcoming performances, including guest appearances and special performances that included one instance of working with a clinician. Before she had finished speaking, the 23 members of the Crescendo Choir (7th to 10th grade) entered and took their positions on the stairs of the altar.  They were followed immediately by the 20 members of the Dolce Choir (11th grade to college). Then, entering the altar from behind, was the 34-man strong Jesuit High School Chamber Singers.

The first musical section was “No Time,” which I later learned is considered a traditional camp meeting (revival) song. Thus it had a folk music feel, while being simultaneously rousing and uplifting. SCC Artistic Director Alexander Grambow directed this 77-member mixed choir in this first selection, and all those singers produced a wonderfully rich sound in 4-part harmony that really filled the already resonant St. John’s Lutheran Church.

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

At the conclusion of “No Time,” the Jesuit and Dolce choirs left, and Grambow led Crescendo in performing “To Music.” This piece had been arranged from a 16th-century German chorale melody, and it was performed a cappella. I was instantly struck by the purity of the sound from these young women, and I couldn't help but smile at the beauty of their singing and their commitment to their performance. One of the great services of SCC is that they teach their young charges how to sing well individually, so that when they perform as a group, they produce a sound that is worth listening to.

Now it seemed to me that the music was becoming more challenging for these young singers. “Homeland” involved more difficult harmonies, and then, when Crescendo was joined by Dolce, the combined group performed “Children Will Listen” from Into the Woods. This sophisticated Broadway song was well performed and engaging, including clear delivery of the unsettling words by these ― children.

At this point in the concert, the Jesuit High School Chamber Singers and their director, Rex Rallanka, took the stage with a set of 4 songs that made me ― an alumnus of two men's choruses ― feel like I was listening to a darned good men's ― not boys' ― chorus. They began with the rousing, well-known a cappella arrangement of “Vive l'Amour” by Alice Parker and Robert Shaw. Having sung this myself, I can appreciate how well they performed it, especially the ending which can be so confusing.

The next piece brought a drastic change in mood with the touching song, “Tell My Father” from the musical, The Civil War. Fallen in battle, the speaker says, “Tell my father that his son/Didn't run or surrender/That I bore his name with pride/As I tried to remember/You are judged by what you do/While passing through.” It seemed to me that the chorus (and soloist Donovan Jasper) honored the sentiment of this song.  And while listening to their performance, I got a sense that this ensemble was capable of great power. At times it seemed like Rex Rallanka was holding the reins of a strong team of horses that he could barely control.

“Black Is the Color,” with its sophisticated harmonies and dynamic range, required more sensitive singing, and these young men (and soloist Carter Wink) delivered. I have to add that during this song I especially appreciated the strength of the bass section.

“Loch Lomond” began with a fine, extended solo by Evan Bird. Then with the chorus singing a cappella, we were treated to the warm harmonies of this piece, as the singers spread out into a circular formation. This arrangement by Thomas Quick has become very popular (another that I've sung myself) because about two-thirds of the way through, the lyrical folk song morphs into a march with the lower voices singing a rhythmic cadence to the lyric “dai-dai,” while the upper voices repeat the melody. It was all great fun, and when it concluded we in the audience responded with especially enthusiastic applause. Then, since it was the last song in the Jesuit choir's set, Director Rallanka recognized the group for a bow. Then he pointed to soloist Evan Bird for a special bow, and something magical happened ― at least it felt magical to me. The whole choir behind Evan broke into applause and heart-felt cheers. Now I don't know the backstory. Evan looked younger than the others, and he seemed a bit self-conscious as a soloist despite a beautiful tenor voice. Maybe it was his first solo. I don't know, and it doesn't really matter. What impressed me was the great camaraderie of this group, and so we in the audience got a glimpse of something fine, something perhaps more inspiring than any song could be.

At this point Dolce returned for the final two songs before intermission. The first was “Make Them Hear You” from the musical Ragtime. There are only 5 boys among the 20 singers in Dolce, and this song began with a long solo by one of them, Joseph Dozier. All the singers really seemed to feel the message of this protest song, but I was struck by the great feeling that Joseph put into his solo. In fact, I heard people still commenting about it after the concert was over.

The last selection in the first half of this concert was “You’ll Never Walk Alone” from Carousel. I first heard this song when I saw the movie version of the show as a young child soon after it was released. It moved me then, and I still have a picture in my mind of Claramae Turner as Cousin Nettie Fowler, singing this song against a background of dark clouds. Since then, generations have found its lyrics inspiring, and Dolce gave an inspired performance of it ― and that included the other half of the medley, “Climb Every Mountain” from The Sound of Music. It was hard for me ― and I bet for others in the audience ― to refrain from humming along to this familiar music. Then the medley ended on a high note ― literally. It was delivered by one of Dolce’s high sopranos. I think we were all a little surprised by how forcefully she hit that note, and maybe she was, too. But she followed it with a big smile that made it a triumph, rather than a mistake ― and that smile served to endear her to all of us who took notice of what almost sounded like a one-note solo.

After the intermission, Dolce entered to perform John Rutter’s inspirational “The Lord Bless You and Keep You.” Then the boys of Dolce left, and the girls spread into a single-file chevron across the altar to perform “Ain’t No Grave Can Hold My Body Down.” Although I don’t recall having heard it before, I understand that Johnny Cash popularized this gospel song, which was performed by Dolce in an arrangement by Paul Caldwell and Sean Ivory. I watched with a bit of awe as these young women seemed to really come alive as they performed, swaying, occasionally glancing at each other ― and all with a little tinge of attitude. To me, the rhythm was incredibly challenging, and the piece seemed to last a very long time. But under the direction of Alexander Grambow, they aced the performance ― as did accompanist Ryan Lee who really made the piano rock. This audience-pleasing piece took great energy from singers and pianist, energy which they kept up right to the end.

For the finale, all singers returned to fill the altar for the final “Missa Festiva.” This was a “missa brevis” with 5 movements and a piece I’d never heard before. Before Alex Grambow began directing it, he asked us in the audience to hold our applause until they got to the final “amen.” The successive sections were the ordinary of the Latin mass (Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei), and it was all expressed in a variety of musical moods: lyrical and melodic, excited and exclamatory, somber, and joyful and exuberant. The singers seemed to really enjoy this harmonically sophisticated music, and from the audience's perspective, it was both satisfying music and a demonstration of the skill of the singers.

The concert ended with extended applause for Director Alex Grambow and his two choirs, for Rex Rallanka and the Jesuit High School Chamber Singers (whose members expressed special enthusiasm for Rallanka), and for the two accompanists, Heather Razo and Ryan Lee whose work was critical to the impression of many of the program selections. I think I can say that this was a spirit-lifting experience for all of us in attendance on this afternoon, and as I headed to my car, I remember thinking: “I hope I never have to miss a concert of the Sacramento Children’s Chorus.”