Wayne State College’s music department and Matthew Armstrong hosted the Evening of Choirs in Ley Theater to bring multiple choirs and audiences together Oct. 27.  

The Evening of Choirs presented an opportunity for all the WSC choirs to celebrate each other and the tradition of music, along with sharing their talents with the students and community of Wayne. All four choirs – chamber, fortis, lyrica and concert – were featured.  

The chamber choir included many traditional songs, with some jazz vocal and musical theater pieces. Fortis, the tenor and bass choir, sang song with strong male voices, such as a barbershop piece. Lyrica, the soprano and alto group, shared music that relates to social justice, all of which were written by women composers. The concert choir’s selection was based on songs that Armstrong said would display the range that the group had to offer, which included a difficult, all-French piece titled “Beau Soir.”  

Armstrong, choral director and professor at WSC, said there wasn’t necessarily a theme throughout the whole program, but each choir had some organization behind their selected pieces.  

“My program is based on what I think will challenge the students and what will showcase their talents the best,” Armstrong said. 

Isaac Voboril, member of the concert choir, said he enjoys the Evening of Choirs because he gets to hear the hard work of the other choirs that he is not a part of.  

“It gives recognition to all of the choirs, because usually it’s just concert and chamber choir,” Voboril said. “But also, we get to share with the public what we’ve been working on”.  

Voboril said it was difficult to pick a favorite song from the evening because there were many great ones to choose from.  

“It’s honestly between Shenandoah and Elijah Rock,” Voboril said. “Probably Elijah Rock just because it’s more powerful. Elijah Rock is more in-your-face, a wall of sound, and Shenandoah is just pretty.” 

Armstrong said having the choirs all perform in one night is very special.  

“I looked forward to other students, as much as the audience, seeing each other and supporting one another,” Armstrong said. “Because that’s really what music is about. It can be about competing with each other, trying to be the best, but I think the better concept is that music can really people together.”  

Armstrong said that this night was incredibly meaningful for the seniors leaving for the semester, as there are nine of them featured in the choirs who will be heading out to teach music in the spring.  

“In a lot of ways, it was a celebration of them,” Armstrong said. “Every group leaves an indelible mark on the choir and it’s never quite the same without them, because we’ve been changed for the better.”