A Grand Night

Voice students perform hit songs from Rodgers and Hammerstein

On March 7, the music department provided WWU students, staff, and community with an annual spring voice concert, titled “It’s a Grand Night for Singing.” The concert occurred in the Fine Arts Center Auditorium and had a large turnout.

The students who performed were all students of Christine Janis, assistant professor of music who teaches voice majors and minors. This year’s theme was music of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein and showcased songs from classic musicals such as “The Sound of Music” and “Oklahoma.”

The spring voice concert provided opportunities for students to embrace new challenges beyond excellent singing. Performers had to focus on their song as well as movement, embrace their character, work with props, and deal with nerves. Emma Little, a sophomore business and music major, explained how students gain confidence and prepare to perform: “We have a voice performance class every week where we sing our songs in front of each other and feel better about performing in front of a crowd.” 

The community and students enjoyed the voice students' performance. They were invited to sing along to “Edelweiss” from “The Sound of Music”  and enjoyed the men's group song “There is Nothin’ Like a Dame” from “South Pacific.” “‘There is Nothin’ like a Dame’ was funny and they did it well. I’ve always liked quartets and men’s vocal groups and thought that song was really cool,” said Josh Essink, a freshman aviation management major who attended the recital. The concert was also a learning opportunity for student attendees. “My musical knowledge was expanded and it was nice to hear different music,” said Essink.

To watch the performance and learn more about upcoming music department events, visit wallawalla.edu/music.