On March 15, the Stockton Chorale performed at Delta College’s Atherton Auditorium, featuring the Master Choral, Valley Youth A Cappella and Stockton Youth Choral.
Stockton Youth Chorale and Valley Youth A Cappella, directed by Joan Calonico, performed Duruflé’s: “Requiem” and timeless classics at the start of the show: “Vanitas Canon”, “Sing Unto the Lord”, “The Heavens Are Telling”, and lastly “Wenn ich ein Vöglein wär.”
“She always says she’s nervous, but when she gets out there, she’s always got a big, giant smile on her face, so… that’s great”, said Cammie Tyrrel, a mother of one of the performers in the Stockton Youth Chorale. “But she loves singing. She loves to sing. She’s homeschooled, so this is her getting out and getting to be with other kids. She’s very social. She loves to sing all throughout the house, all the time.”
The second half of the concert was then performed by the Master Chorale, directed by Nate Widelitz. This performance included “Lobgesang (Hymn of Praise)”, Felix Mendelssohn, Complete Work: Movement I, Movement II, Movement III, Movement IV, Movement V.
The performance include soloists Soprano Bianca Orsi and Mezzo Soprano Buffy Baggott.
Emily Weikle, an audience member who came down from the Bay Area, attended the event to support her family. Not only was her sister performing, but so was her mother and father.
“I love the arts. I love music. I love the arts in general, but music is a huge part of just everything. It means so much to me, and just hearing the choir, and the orchestra, and the kids, and everything, it was just so wonderful. It’s fantastic, and my family’s been working really hard and doing an amazing job,” said Weikle.
After a 15 minute intermission, Artistic Director Nate Widelitz ended the concert with Movements of Duruflé: Requiem, Op. 9, “Introit (Requiem aeternam)”, “Kyrie”, “Domine Jesu Christe”, “Sanctus”, “Pie Jesu (Mezzo-soprano solo)”, “Agnus Dei”, “Lux Aeterna”, “Libera Me”, “In Paradisum”. This included soloists Baggott and Baritone Raphael Pazzo.
Weikle’s mother, Rebecca Streeter, alto in Masterwork Choral and Stockton Chorale, spoke after the performance about the effort it took.
“You know we all worked so hard as a choir, and we could not have done it without Nate Widelitz. We’re just thankful that he spends the time to connect with every person, every group, just brings the best out of all of us, and then bringing in the orchestra, just absolutely… just incredible,” said Streeter. “It’s crazy, you know, you’re trying to sing, and the next thing you know, you’re trying to hold back tears for some of it, and it’s hard to sing with tears, so you just kind of have to push through.”
