By Kylen Gray-Jacobson
Ranger Choir has been working really hard on practicing and perfecting their own rendition of Vivaldi’s Gloria; the excitement builds as the performance approaches.
Melchor Carrillo, the Ranger Choir director, feels that, “we are right on track so far” as the group continuously practices. He adds that the piece is special because not only are they learning and performing such an amazing score, but they are also absorbing the piece and gaining their own perspective, that “changes when you are older”.
This gives students something to reflect on. Music means something different to everyone.
For Carrillo’s preparation, “a lot of prep-time goes into score study. I’ll typically look at spots for breaths or for personal dynamic additions to add to the piece, but still execute the iconic parts that respect the work,” he explains.
Other time goes into, “understanding where the climax is. Many great pieces or movies have a height around the 66 percent mark”. He adds, “making sure everyone’s eyes are on me is difficult because the Covid habit of staring at a screen did not help in-person work ethic”.
Carrillo explains that the difficult nature of the work is because, “there are a lot of moving parts and pieces within the score”.
As an artist, “it is somewhat challenging to inject my own interpretation because there are lines that confine the body of work, but I can at least color within the lines for my personal touch,” Carrillo adds.
Even though Carrillo appreciates and conducts mostly classical works, he enjoys other artists and music. “I listen to a lot of country, bluegrass, Bach, and more recently I revisited ‘90s rap after the super bowl halftime show ”.
He enjoys artists such as Eminem and Merle Haggard. His all-time favorite classical artist is a bel canto tenor, Lawrence Brownley, whom he went to college with.
Carrillo mostly enjoys classical music because, “of the words and the music that influences how they are interpreted.”
He adds, “I also particularly enjoy the amount of effort and passion that can be seen in a live performance from a violinist or a choir. The feeling is unmatched”.
Carrillo is also moved by the, “effort my choir puts into the work. I love to see the focus and soul that they put forth into this”.
For the students of Ranger Choir, Fernando Mendes, ‘23 and Bailey Nelson, ‘22 both have wonderful things to say about the process.
Nelson finds, “joy in the music, especially the longer pieces where the altos really get to dig into the part”.
The act of learning the music blows her mind because, “thousands of years ago they were singing the same song- it’s timeless,” she says.
Nelson’s favorite part about choir is “the people- I get closer and reconnect with others”.
She likes performing with “the orchestra because it feels more important. It’s easy to get into the habit of going on autopilot sometimes, the instruments freshen up the performance”.
She has “cried during one choir performance in eighth grade, it was because we were graduating. I feel a bit embarrassed now for not crying because the pieces are more complex and emotional, now”.
Nelson likes singing the alto line because “I like the challenge of having to sing and navigate against the other voices. The process trains my musicality and I find the challenge exciting”.
She appreciates that the “alto part adds a flavor to the choral pieces that usually is not noticed up against the soprano melody line”.
Mendes likes “the different type of music, the college level of the pieces stimulate my focus”.
He believes that, “The pronunciation is the most difficult, and memorizing is also pretty difficult with the amount of foreign words we have to become familiar with”.
Mendes enjoys, “the classical aspect of it, I really enjoy listening to classical in general… Beethoven is one of my favorites”.
His favorite part about choir is “the people and the friends I get to become closer with. I like how fun the class is, the environment is always lighthearted, but when we need to focus, we give our all”.
Mendes has never cried during a performance. “I’m not that emotional of a guy, but I definitely feel the energy and power of our work,” he says.
He is proud of the work because Carrillo mentioned, “you will most likely never find a choir like this, or that sounds this good in college, so appreciate it, and do not take it for granted ”.
Mendes sings the baritone line. He says “I like where the notes sit in my voice, and there is way less stress in my throat as compared to the tenor line”.
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