Normandale Community College’s Concert Choir and Vocal Ensemble will start the 2025-26 concert with a diverse collection of arrangements that feature everything from Billy Joel’s Lullabye (Goodbye My Angel), to Michael Bublé’s Everything to a collection of songs with a Night Theme, and a piece from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azakaban.
“It is a great collection of pieces,” said music student Amaya Melvin. “We have songs in different languages, some have a very upbeat vibe to them, while others are slow like Sure on This Shining Night.”
Alto choir member and music student Rory Dougherty and Amaya (who is also an alto) both selected Sure on this Shining Night as songs they look forward to performing.
“I like the runs that we will do and the splits the altos have,” said Rory. “It creates a good amount of texture, and it is higher than most alto parts are.”
Amaya also likes the piece for the harmony splits. “It gives everyone a chance to show their part and combine it together. It just sounds really nice.”
The Vocal Ensemble will performances will include:
Music student Austin Shannon is a Criminal Justice major, but also performs Normandale theater productions and music concerts. Shannon was just in the Normandale Department of Theatre production Ken Ludwig’s Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood that ran from October 9-11.
He is excited to for the fall them of this year’s Concert Choir pieces. “This year we are trying something kind of new,” said Austin. “We are really getting the feeling of fall, particularly October. We have songs about night, the moon and Halloween. We also have a piece from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azakaban that really digs into the whole witchy/scary kind of feel. Singing about the moments of where we are in the year is fun. It is easier to feel the music, because you already feel the environment.
The Concert Choir performances will include:
Music student and alto in the Concert Choir Bridget King is excited about performing Cantate Domino. “I am excited for the opener (Cantate Domino). It is smaller piece, but I think will be a good opener. The spring will be really big, and I am excited about that.”
Autumn Harverkamp, who is a soprano and wants to become a music and theater educator, is excited about performing How High the Moon. “I think it is a jazzier piece, and is my favorite to perform for this concert. I feel like it is different from all of the other songs we are doing. The others songs are more classical in style, and I feel like this one has good diversity. I think a lot of people will like it, and it will be a fan favorite.”
Music instructor and Concert Choir Conductor, Dr. Marc Jaros points out the theme of songs pertaining to night (Sure on this Shining Night, Die Nacht, and How High the Moon). He also references that the Double-Trouble piece has text from the witches’ dialogue from Shakespeare’s Macbeth.
Jaros enjoys leading the Concert Choir because it gives students a chance to make music, from community with other students and socialize through those opportunities. “Choral music provides a unique venue for finding a place of belonging, exploring class and new repertoire, and feeling a sense of shared accomplishment.”
You can find out more about the Normandale Music Department concerts by going to normandale.edu/concerts. There are two options to enjoy the wonderful music Normandale students are performing. You can watch in-person, but if you can’t make it the night of the concerts, you can also see them at https://www.youtube.com/@Normandale_cc.
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