Eric Conway, D.M.A. writes on Saturday, August 13, 2016:
Hello,
Last
night, the members of the Morgan Choir sang at Wolf Trap in Vienna, VA -
the premier outdoor venue in the Washington, DC area. This venue can
seat as many as 7,000, with half of the seats within the amphitheater,
under cover from the elements. Although cover was not needed last
night, the concert temperature was 89 degrees fahrenheit - one of the
hottest evenings of our summer! Wolf Trap is a unique entity in being a
performing arts venue as well as a national park as designated by
Congress!
Ten
hand-picked members of the Morgan choir sang behind acclaimed Country
Gospel Music icon, Lyle Lovett, four-time grammy winner. Many may
remember that we sang with Lyle at the White House in April of 2015.
Lyle personally requested the Morgan choir knowing that we were in the
area.
The
Morgan choir had not sung at Wolf Trap in decades. Our task was to
learn as many as seven different Lyle Lovett songs well enough to sing
in a full concert on stage after a short pre-rehearsal with the musical
director, Matt Rollings. After sending out the sound-files, we learned
and rehearsed his repertoire twice this week, on Monday and yesterday.
The songs were easy for the Morgan group to learn and absorb. Matt
was very impressed with the group and said this was one of the easiest
pre-rehearsals he ever had. After the rehearsal, we had a very tasty
supper with the entire company. We went upstairs to the space minutes
before the concert see how we would be arranged on stage - no
soundcheck!
Last
night's concert was a double-bill: Lyle Lovett and his Large Band
coupled with fellow grammy-award winner Emmy Lou Harris opening up the
concert. Emmy Lou was another person whom we had also met at the White
House. Lyle Lovett must be one of the kindest artists we have ever
encountered. He hung out with us for a period during our rehearsal. He
made a point to take photos with us prior to our performance (prior to
the sweat). He did not only take photos with us, but took scores of his
own shots as he must be a photography aficionado as well.
I
was told that over 5,200 purchased tickets on this hot evening. I was
surprised that both performers gave full programs. Our 7:30 p.m. show
did not conclude until 10:50 p.m., only because the venue had a curfew.
The manager was quite impressed and suggested using the Morgan choir in
future shows. I commented to him that this felt like a revival or old
camp meeting with tunes like I’m a Soldier in the Army, Church, and
Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior.
See attached some photos from the evening. Also see a link to a couple songs sung with Morgan which are quite rousing.
I
know that some may be tired of these pseudo-posts, but I know from many
replies, that choir supporters appreciate the glimpse into the world of
a Morgan choir performance! Fair Morgan!
EC
Link to soundfile of choir with Lyle:
************************************
Eric Conway, D.M.A.
Fine and Performing Arts Department, Chair
Morgan State University
No comments:
Post a Comment