Liberty University Chamber Singers holds first concert of the semester

Chapels are made to be filled with music and worship, and on Feb. 18, First Presbyterian Church in Lynchburg was filled to the brim as the Liberty University Chamber Singers held its first winter concert of the semester. 

Led by its director, Dr. Wayne Kompelien, the group of 25 students performed a variety of songs for friends and family in attendance. 

The students took their places in the sanctuary with early evening light pouring through the stained-glass windows. The singers positioned themselves at the front of the hall, allowing their voices to fill the room as the audience listened intently, only interrupting at the end of a piece to applaud and cheer. Alex Harmon, a graduate student majoring in music education with a concentration in conducting, noted the benefit of such an atmosphere. 

“We can be in places like this where the acoustics are really nice. You can hear each other, and it bounces off,” Harmon said. “And you have those cut-off moments, and the sound just gets released into the air. And you have that ‘Wow’ moment.” 

Kompelien greeted the audience and introduced them to the first song, “Never Gonna Walk This Journey Alone” by Greg Gilpin. With lines such as “My God will always see you to the end,” this spiritual set the stage for the concert’s theme of God’s care and provision for his creation.

About halfway through the evening, the students began their most challenging song, “In the Beginning” by Aaron Copland. The piece is about 15 minutes long and tells the story of creation from the first chapter of Genesis. 

Alto soloist and junior majoring in vocal performance, Sarai Burgos, agreed with her peers and Kompelien that this was the most difficult song to learn. It became their primary focus at their practices three times each week for the month prior to the concert. The students performed the piece seamlessly from start to finish, a feat Kompelien was especially proud of, considering how long it can take to master. 

“I think this is the kind of piece that needs to kind of simmer a long while until you really own it … (There are) switches in tonality, texture changes (and) abrupt but immediate key shifts,” Kompelien said. “(It’s) been the most challenging, but it’s also been probably the most rewarding.”

The ensemble of students performed several other choral pieces and spirituals all relating to the idea of God’s hand in creation. They also performed a few duets and solos, including recognizable songs such as “His Eye Is On the Sparrow,” sung by Burgos and Sydney Wenger, and “Amazing Grace” with bass soloist, Luke Taylor. 

The final piece of the concert was “Soon I Will Be Done.” The song concluded the evening as the students’ friends and family celebrated their accomplishment. It was also an appropriate and encouraging piece for the seniors graduating this spring.

“I love ‘Soon I Will Be Done.’ I just think that it’s so beautiful. It’s fun to sing. It’s really groovy,” a senior majoring in vocal performance and soprano, Lauryn Wallentine, said. “But also, I really love the message of ‘Soon I will be done with the troubles of the world.’ And kind of going out to spread my wings, it’s just realizing that God’s going to take care of me.”

Wallentine also noted how close the group has gotten and the bond its members share with one another. Students were especially grateful for Kompelien’s leadership and devotion to their group.

“We all love Dr. K. — he is someone that you can always look up to, and he looks out for his students, and you see that from day one,” Jared Shay, a senior majoring in choral music education and tenor, said. “He goes out of his way to make sure the students are doing well, and that’s what helps us embody what Chamber Singers really is. It’s a family.”

The Chamber Singers next concert is April 3 at 7:30 p.m. at the Old Pate Chapel. To see the dates for all upcoming ensemble concerts, visit their website.

Malanowski is a feature reporter for the Liberty Champion