‘Best Concert We’ve Had So Far’: Singers Relish Strong Spring Show

In their third concert of the school year, Rockhurst’s Choral Program put on a dazzling performance, singing a wide variety of old classics and new favorites during a crowded Rose Theatre performance on March 7.

The Spring Concert brought together Freshman Choir, Advanced Choir, Chamber Choir and Concert Choir to sing a total of 13 songs—from Israeli folk to a traditional gospel spiritual—to both widespread audience and choir program acclaim at the concert’s single, 7 p.m. showing.

“This is probably the best concert we’ve had so far,” said senior Chamber Choir member Maddux Radosevic. “The group did a good job of sticking with the music and just trusting in the process, and I think it showed here tonight.”

Senior Concert Choir member Brian Humphrey certainly agreed, mentioning that he thought the group “sounded brilliant.”

To get to that point, though, choir members practiced constantly, starting preparations for the Spring Concert just a couple days after their Winter Concert on December 8.

“[Choral Director] Dr. [Kevin] Coker is someone who thinks as a ‘no days off’ type of person, so every time we slack off in class is a moment we’re not getting better for the upcoming concert,” said Humphrey. “At the end of the day, though, all the hard work in class definitely paid off with the performance we put on tonight.”

For seniors, preparing for the Spring Concert wasn’t as simple as just showing up to class. Senior Service Projects meant almost three weeks of missed January class periods, leaving a little over a month for seniors to learn complicated songs involving multiple voice parts and often in a different language. To make up, seniors had to begin to memorize many choir pieces on their own at home, listening to song tracks and then practicing the vocals. 

“[Seniors] had to learn in about half the amount of time that we normally prepare with,” said Dr. Coker. “I’m very proud of the way they tackled the challenge and I was really pleased with how they sang with a lot of heart. There’s just a lot of commitment and passion in these upperclassmen that are really leading the way for our underclassmen.”

At the same time, though, seniors weren’t the only ones to win high praise, with Freshman Choir putting on a show, singing the crowd favorite piece, “Dodi Li” and a high energy song, “Sisi Ni Moja.”

“I think it went really well,” said freshman Atticus Carlson. “We sounded really well and came together as a group better than the last few concerts,” with the freshman adding that he thought they might’ve even matched Concert Choir. 

Similarly, freshman Luke Franke had good words to say about his grade’s performance, calling the concert “Our smoothest one so far.”

“We were pretty prepared and knew what we were doing.”

Humphrey might disagree with whether or not the freshmen even came close to Choir Concert levels, but admitted they “have a lot of promise.”

“They sounded pretty good for some freshmen.”

After this concert, choir members all across the board noticed an improvement in harmony and quality over the course of the year. While the first two concerts brought a few hiccups, the Spring Concert was noticeably more smooth and cohesive, demonstrating the countless hours and practices put into concert preparation over the past year.

“Right before this concert, Dr. Coker showed us videos of ourselves performing at our fall concert and winter concert,” said senior choir president Barrett Brewer. “After we heard ourselves at this concert, we’re like, ‘Holy crap, we’re good.’ Seeing that kind of growth motivates us to work harder.”

For choir members, there is just one more performance this year to grow towards—the uncontested highlight of the whole choir year—performing at Helzberg Hall in the Kauffman Center.  

Everything about Helzberg stands out for choir members. The acoustics are so good everyone in the hall would be able to hear if a single person opened a candy wrapper. The location is nationally renowned. And, it marks the last time Rockhurst seniors perform together as part of the Rockhurst Choir Program.

“From the beginning of the year, I’ve always just been looking forward to Helzberg because it’s such a cool experience,” said Brewer. “Because everyone knows it’s Helzberg Hall, everyone’s going to work a lot harder. This is our final concert as seniors, so we’ve had our eyes set on it since day one.”

Now that the work is finished with the Spring Concert, all focus is on Helzberg and giving seniors one last chance to shine. Coker and the choir seniors themselves, think they couldn’t be more ready for the challenge.

“This is a great group of senior guys and we’re going to miss them. Last night demonstrated the hard work and dedication that they put in and they get to perform, but I think these guys are ready to tear into something new. We’ve had our moments with these songs and so we’re gonna move towards [Helzberg],” said Coker.

For many seniors, the Spring Concert represented something bittersweet—a concert spent performing with guys they’ve sang with since freshman year, but one of their last together.

“That night was my last time performing here at Rockhurst,” said Humphrey. “I’m just glad I was able to perform here and I think I’m going to keep that happiness and appreciation at the next concert.”

For Humphrey, May 2, the day seniors finally perform for the last time at Helzberg, looms large.

“This is gonna be our last ride. You can bet we’re going to make it special.”