Lifting their voices
UNM choirs to perform at Keller Hall
As the students get back into the groove of the semester, it is concert time on campus. At 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17, the University of New Mexico is hosting “Everyone Sang” at Keller Hall.
Performing that evening is Dolce Suono, UNM’s tenorbass choir, and Las Cantantes Treble Choir, UNM’s women’s ensemble.
“This semester, like the past few, is about getting back to normal,” said David Edmonds, director of both choirs. “You know, the pandemic affected music groups, particularly vocal music groups as you can imagine.”
With more in-person events, the choir is getting its swagger back.
“We are back to full steam I think, so it’s been an exciting year and semester,” Edmonds said.
Tickets are $10 for general admission, $8 for seniors and UNM employees, and $5 for students.
“The Albuquerque music scene is booming with activity,” Edmonds said. “I mean, there are so many genres, as anybody who’s experienced some of the nightlife knows that there’s all kinds of jazz, popular, classical, folk, music in the area, so it’s a great community to be a part of.”
Audiences should expect a plethora of musical genres.
“They should expect to hear a variety of music from a variety of backgrounds and time periods. That focuses on the joy of singing as an ensemble,” Edmonds said.
One of the perks of being a young musician in Albuquerque is the number of artists around you.
“In fact, we regularly collaborate with groups like St. John’s United Methodist Church, which has a Bach series,” Edmonds said. “We are collaborating this semester with the Santa Fe Symphony and the Santa Fe Symphonic Chorus.”
Being part of the community has helped the choir thrive locally.
“I think we always rely on support from the community, so people coming back to concerts and supporting our students is going to be key,” Edmonds said. “I would say that as an academic, urban-institution, we thrive on community support. So we just appreciate all of our audience and other supporters that are out there that really help our students succeed.”
When the choir is not performing on campus, you can catch them around town.
“We have our own community group, the University Chorus that collaborates regularly with our symphony orchestra, and this semester is collaborating with the UNM Health Science Center orchestra,” he said. “So there’s really no end to the variety that’s out there in our music scene, and that extends beyond what you might call the classical genre.”