The Undercurrent

Issue date: 5/9/08 Section: Entertainment

Media Credit: Sarah Maslonka Jazz choir - On Wednesday, May 7, the BVU Jazz Choir showcased the best of BVU. They sang and danced to many different numbers and genres. A favorite of this years performances seemed to be Broadway musicals. Throughout the night there were performances from Wicked, Phantom of the Opera and Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde.

Media Credit: Sarah Maslonka Soloist - Junior Brittany Goede, performed "In His Eyes" from the Broadway show Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde.

The BVU Jazz Choir dazzled audiences at their ninth annual spring concert in Anderson Auditorium on Wednesday, May 7. Directed by Paula Keeler, assistant professor of music, the 28-person ensemble performed a variety of group pieces with many impressive solo acts featured in between.

The ensemble set the bar high with the opening number, showcasing their dancing and singing abilities with a rendition of "I'll Build a Stairway to Paradise," arranged by Mark Brymer. After the upbeat opener, the master of ceremonies for the evening, senior Cliff Coggins, welcomed the audience during the break with light-hearted humor and returned to entertain the audience several times during the occasional brief breaks between numbers.

Smaller groups of performers ranging from solos to a men's quartet graced the stage throughout the evening, displaying the individual talent in the choir.

"I loved getting the opportunity to see the student solos and duets. When the ensemble sings collectively it sounds great, but no one realizes how talented each individual is. The solos and duets showcased phenomenal individual voices, which I really enjoyed," sophomore Jessica Watkins said.

The variety of the musical selections performed by these smaller groups made for a very captivating show. Pieces ranged from "All I Ask of You," a song from the classic Phantom of the Opera, performed by junior Tiffany Peterson and first-year Corbet Butler, to "Ordinary Day," a very modern piece by Vanessa Carlton that sophomore Morgan Smith sang while accompanying herself on the piano.

The student musical group B17, made up of junior Kyle Baker, sophomore Chris Kirsch and seniors Alex Hangartner and David Jorgensen, performed the song "Wonderful," which was an original piece that Kirsch and Jorgensen composed.

The jazz choir as a whole performed several more times over the course of the evening as well. The group asked the audience to throw away their cares with a cheerful performance of "Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams," a piece arranged by Kirby Shaw. Several songs from Steven Sondheim's musicals were also featured, adding a taste of modern musical theatre to the show.

"I was absolutely blown away by the performance tonight," junior Stuart Jorgensen, a jazz choir member and featured soloist of the night, said. "Coming into it I was a bit nervous, but things came together great in the end. Everyone put so much work in it and we could not have been where we are tonight if it hadn't been for every single one of the people up on that stage."

Everyone else in the audience was blown away as well by the time the jazz choir performed their closing piece, "Big Time Finale" by Jack Murphy and Frank Wildhorn.

The upbeat jazzy piece, impressive singing and dancing and dazzling red dresses worn by the female choir members could not help but leave a lasting impression on the audience, causing many to hum a cheerful tune as they walked out of the auditorium with a little extra spring in their step.

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