“Fantastic rehearsal, guys,” Dr. Marvin Latimer says to the approximately 75 men and women on the risers in Moody Music Building’s choral opera room. They clamor off the risers to retrieve their book bags and disperse every which way. Some venture off to the science and engineering complex, some to the Blount buildings and New College, some to Reese Phifer for TCF, Graves for education, or Gordon Palmer for psychology and math, while the rest remain in Moody. This diverse group of choristers of such varied majors and singing backgrounds is the University Chorus.

University Chorus is one of the two major mixed choral ensembles at the University of Alabama. While University Singers is an auditioned ensemble mostly comprised mostly of music majors, University Chorus requires no audition and accepts vocalists from all levels of choral experience and areas of study. Chorus has been around for quite some time at the University—at least 20 years according to Latimer’s knowledge, who has been directing the ensemble for three years.

The diversity of the members of University Chorus is both the group’s great challenge and triumph. Some have been singing in choir since middle school, participating in Honor and All-State choirs in high school. Some have sung before in church choirs. There are also music majors if not vocal performance or choral education majors. However, there are even a few singers who have never had any formal training or choral instruction, who came to the first rehearsal not even sure of which vocal part they sing.

Latimer combines all of the many musical background with his teaching, students' willingness to learn and desire to sing. The mixture results in a joyful noise, indeed - and thus we have the University Chorus.

Students admire Latimer for his patience, good methods of instruction and humor. “Dr. Latimer is a wonderful teacher," said senior TCF major, Laura Keith. "He keeps rehearsals very entertaining.”

University Chorus, then, is “just a good way to be involved in a chorus community without a huge time investment,” explains Latimer.

The ensemble has rehearsals twice a week, minimal performance responsibilities and scarce (if any) out-of-class rehearsals make it a manageable addition to students’ busy schedules. Yet, the amount of concerts and occasions to sing is satisfying for students looking for musical fulfillment in their lives. In addition once-a-semester concerts, the Chorus also makes guest performances. (Most recently at various area worship services and the Alabama American Choral Directors Association Invitational Choir Festival in Birmingham, Alabama.)

The University Chorus sings mostly classical music; however, “In any four-year cycle, singers can expect to perform repertoire in several languages and in various musical styles,” according to the the School of Music Web site.

In one year, the Chorus performs one major oratorio-type work and one concert of shorter choral pieces. “[Chorus is] big enough that we can do just about anything we want to do, and there’s enough skill in the group that we can do college-level choral repertoire,” said Latimer

What is an oratorio?

"An oratorio is a large musical composition including an orchestra, a choir, and soloists. The oratorio was somewhat modeled after the opera. Their similarities include the use of a choir, soloists, an ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias." - According to Wikipedia.

The oratorio works that the Chorus performs are very challenging, calling for a high level of participation and dedication. In the spring of 2008 the Chorus joined the University Singers and the Huxford Symphony Orchestra in performing the Brahms Requiem (Ein deutsches Requiem). Last spring the Chorus performed John Rutter’s Requiem Mass and this semester the Chorus will be joining forces with a group of instrumentalists and the Hillcrest Middle School Women’s Ensemble to perform John Rutter’s Mass of the Children.

Rutter’s Mass of the Children is what is called a Missa breva, or “short Mass,” based loosely on the Roman Catholic Mass. The piece, written for large chorus and children’s chorus, is a mix of abruptly changing musical styles with a text that alternates between English and Latin. The semester’s worth of rehearsals and hard work will all be culminating in this one important and sure-to-be beautiful concert.

The performance of Mass of the Children by University Chorus and the Hillcrest Middle School Women’s Ensemble, with soloists Jennifer Cowgill and Paul Houghtaling, will be Thursday, November 19, at 7:30 p.m. in Moody Concert Hall.

The concert is free, will run about an hour, and also includes performances by the student-directed Chamber Choir and UA organ professor Dr. Faythe Freese.

For more information on the University Chorus or other music events, please visit www.music.ua.edu.

by Meg Brandl