By Sharon Garnett
The NDMU choir geared up for the University’s Holiday Concert in the school chapel on December 2.
The premier piece of the repertoire they performed is “A Ceremony of Carrols” by Benjamin Britten, followed by more familiar carols including piano and harp accompaniment.
Choir director Stephen Harouff says, “In addition to the Holiday Concert, the choir has one more performance this year, which is the performance for the University Board Meeting.” The choir also performed for Community Day and Honors Convocation this semester. During the semester, the genres of music performed have been diverse, including classical, spiritual, and folk music.
Moreover, the choir performed off-campus at Harouff’s church, Towson Presbyterian Church. The NDMU choir was the guest ensemble for the service. Harouff explains that the choir sang from the balcony of the church and the chancel area. He was enthusiastic to acknowledge that the song selection for that performance was “I Hear Music in the Air.”
“The choir members usually meet twice a week for rehearsals on Mondays and Wednesdays, from 4:30 until 5:45 p.m. and sectionals meet a couple times throughout the semester,” Harouff says. Additionally, the choir is mixed and diverse this year. Although last year’s choir members were a younger group, the members this year include two seniors, three sophomores, and four freshmen—with only two being music minors.
Kelsey Hundt, a senior philosophy major at Notre Dame, has been singing in the choir for three years. Hundt was ecstatic about the hour-long Holiday Concert, especially because of the great turnout from staff, faculty, and students there, as well as the 25-minute piece by Britten that they sang. She also spoke about the performance at Harouff’s church: “It was amazing. The church was welcoming, and I could tell that the parish enjoyed them being part of their service.”
PC: NDMU Concert Choir FB Page
NDMU Student Media 
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