A Review Of The Veterans Day Concert

On November 16, 2016, the Howard Performing Arts Center was brimming with energy as an audience gathered within the concert hall for “Gratitude, Honor, Praise To the Men and Women Of the Armed Forces.” This Was A Veterans Day concert of tribute, which was a joint effort of multiple groups that came from Andrews University and the Berrien Springs community. It featured singers from Andrews University and Chorale groups and were directed by Stephen Zork, the Berrien Springs high schools Bell Canto and the concert choir were directed by Carrie Vandenburg And The Three Divas [Katherine Rohwer, Rebecca Selvedge And Carrie Vandenburg]. The three divas come with music backgrounds and are all music educators within local public schools.

Since the Revolution, eight generations of America’s veterans have established an unbroken commitment to freedom. Steve Buyer

A Concert Honoring The Services Of Veterans

Initially, the concert acknowledged the veterans in attendance and thanked them for their service to the nation and thereafter the singers from the University collected on stage to begin the program with “A Sentimental Journey Through the 40s” which was arranged by Howley Ades. This number was a popular medley which included several notable songs from World War II. It ranged from the swinging optimism of “it’s a big wide wonderful world” and continued to the homesickness of “Sentimental Journey” and the arrangement was a reminder of the complications which were involved during the conflict. The singers from the University continued to perform a number of pieces, which included themes like the joy of music itself and finding hope in God. The audiences were invited to join the ultimate verse of the exultant rendition of “When The Saints Go Marching in,” which was arranged by John Rutter, which was applauded by the audience before the singers exited the stage.

The Veterans Day Concert Had More to Offer After The Initial Renditions

Being a Veterans Day concert, there was a need for the organizers to provide appropriate entertainment for the veterans who had assembled within the auditorium. The Berrien Springs high school all girls bell Canto which graced the stage after the initial preamble by the University singers began with “Lineage,” as a homepage to the strength of grandmothers and resilient women who came before us. Thereafter they sang the “Banjo Pickin Girl,” at which time the group was looking forward to internalizing the message of independence, which was being proclaimed. The performance ended with an emphatic and a cumulative hair flip before walking back to their seats.

The three divas then took the stage in coordinating dresses, which were vibrating to compile a trio of songs, which were focused on the uplifting aspect of music along with the warmth of being in love. Next, it was the turn of the Berrien Springs high school concert choir and the selections they rendered brought a serious mood to the auditorium. Thereafter, the Andrews University Chorale performed a group of songs about the camaraderie and reunion.

Stephen Zork addressed a theme which really kept the evening together during a break between the songs. He was discussing the aspect of music performance, which separates live music from recordings. He mentioned that when you are able to see the music being performed live and get a feeling about how they as people affect and get affected by it. Bell Canto along with the three Divas, in particular, displayed and immersed in connection within their groups and with the conductor. They made it visible in their expression as they began singing when they made affirmative eye contact with each other and with plenty of enthusiasm within their gestures.

Honoring the sacrifices many have made for our country in the name of freedom and democracy is the very foundation of Veterans Day. Charles B. Rangel

The Final Rendition Of The Veterans Day Concert

In order to give one last resounding musical salute along with a visual message of unity the final song “Homeland,” brought all the choirs in conjunction. Stephen Zork mentioned earlier live performance is concerned with the experience of making music together and accepting each other where you’re at. The performers of the concert were not of similar ages and did not even attend the same schools and despite the challenges, they could work together in order to create a meaningful and a compelling Veterans Day concert as a massive tribute to the veterans who had kept the morale throughout the country with the services they provided.

The next Veterans Day concert is quite some time away and the individuals who missed the show on November 16, 2016, may very well begin preparing for another concert, which will definitely be held on November 11, 2017.