-Heather Thompson, PPAG Reviewer

I had the privilege of attending the CSU – Pueblo Choir Fall Concert on November 8 at Sacred Heart Cathedral. From the opening note to the fantastic finish, these three very talented groups led by Dr. Dana Ihm and accompanied by Diane Eickelman gave CSU-Pueblo another reason to be proud!

The concert opened with the 13 voiced Jazz Choir to a full house of people of all ages. The acoustics in Sacred Heart embraced the strong, pure voices and made me anticipate what the larger choir was going to sound like! Not to take anything away from the Jazz Choir whose four selections were performed with a perfect mix of blend and balance, to a nice selection of more contemporary arrangements. The soloist, Levi Ballajos, performing Skylark, Rebecca Klock, Blue Skies and Stacey Daberkow, performing Voi che sapete from Le Nozze di Figaro had beautiful, clear voices and it was obvious why they were chosen to stand out!

The Concert Choir followed in the program and they did not disappoint! Their opening numbers were two German pieces Ehre sei dir, Christe from St. Matthew Passion and Jaglied, Op. 59, No. 6. Both challenging but performed with precise diction and stunning German with a very fast pace. Dr. Ihm had perfect control of the 59 voiced choir and it is obvious to see why they have performed at such amazing venues as St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome and St. Mark’s Cathedral in Venice. In Locus Iste you could feel

the emotion called forth by an excellent conductor. The Concert Choir closed with two upbeat spiritual numbers featuring soloist, Andy Beurman, performing Ev’ry Time I Feel The Spirit and Desiree Floyd performing Ride On, King Jesus, a pleasant contrast to the previous pieces!

To complete the evening the 36 member Chamber Choir took command of the stage! On their second number Heilig, Heilig, composed by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Dr. Ihm had her choir switch positions, separating her choir in a bold move that had me wondering why she would split them and dull their sound. To my surprise it sounded like her choir doubled right before my eyes! She had her sections move after every piece, getting the full effect of those soaring voices out of every song! My favorite selection of the evening was Tota Pulchra Es, composed by Ola Gjeilo, a young, new composer, I felt the gentlemen excelled in this particular song and I look forward to hearing more from this composer!

From the attractive beige and black outfits of the Jazz Choir, (I liked the hat) to the traditional tuxedos and classic black dresses of the Concert Choir, to the selection of music, to the warm thoughts between each number, it is clear to this reviewer that great care and attention was given to every detail of this performance and it was rewarded in a well deserved standing ovation from a very happy audience!

The Concert Choir and the Chamber Choir will be leaving on their next tour to Luxembourg, France, and Switzerland May of 2012. They will be performing in the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Palace of Versaille. For support of this exceptional program or more information, phone 719-549-2552 or visit their web site, www.chass.colostate-pueblo.edu/music.