By Sydney Ball

Sunday, Nov. 17 marked the final concert of the fall 2024 semester for the Women’s Chorus and Singing Cardsmen. The program consisted of some pieces with rich histories dating back to the medieval period, while others were more recent. April in Paris/La Vie en Rose saw its world premiere at this concert. 

Austin Echols, director for the Singing Cardsmen, puts a lot of thought into the musical selections for his students. He considers what will be the best learning material for future teachers and conductors. The pieces also must have a balance of difficulty; being challenging while not leaving any students behind. In the end, the selections must be pieces that are fitting for the ensemble, and that they can sing well. 

Throughout these performances, the ensembles conveyed emotions ranging from heartbreak to excitement. There were moments of serenity and others with a great amount of power. The combined efforts of the choirs, soloists, and instrumentalists were enough to force audience members to lean back in their seats, taking it all in. 

Echols wants to emphasize to the student community that the choir ensembles are open to everyone.

“I would highlight that these two ensembles are intended for all U of L students, regardless of major and require no audition. In addition to making music, joining a choir is a great way to find community on campus,” he said.

 These ensembles include a variety of experience levels and students from different schools within U of L. Echols also mentioned that the Singing Cardsmen is an RSO, meaning that a percentage of non-students can be involved.

“I would love to see faculty members join us that may have sung in their own college days and would like to find their voices again,” he said.

Although the Women’s Chorus and Singing Cardsmen have finished their final performances for this semester, they have multiple concerts to look forward to in spring 2025. 

There is still one choir concert left in the semester. The University Chorus, Collegiate Chorale, and Cardinal Singers will have their final concert of fall 2024 on Sunday, Nov. 24, at 7:30 p.m. in Comstock Hall.