andrew crane

BYU Singers Traveled to Western Europe to Compete Against 10 Other Invited Choirs in an International Competition

The Choir Showcase Will Feature This Fall’s Four Auditioned Choirs

As the only choir from the United States competing in this virtual international competition, the BYU Singers are honored to have taken first place This last year of masking up and social distancing has not been easy on anyone. For BYU Singers, it meant no more live performances, let alone national tours or competitions abroad. But the pandemic hasn’t barred the group from musical performance altogether. This year, BYU Singers were invited to participate in the International Youth Choir Festival “Aegis Carminis” (IYCF “Aegis Carminis”), a choral competition that takes place annually in Koper, Slovenia. Choirs from several countries, including Russia, Bulgaria, Italy, Taiwan, Slovenia and Indonesia, participated. BYU Singers was the only group from the United States participating. “It was an amazing experience to watch the other choirs perform in the competition from all over the world,” said BYU Singers director Andrew Crane. “It was inspiring to see how music brings us all together, regardless of the language we speak or the country we live in.” Due to the pandemic restrictions, the competition was held in a virtual format. Each of the participants submitted a video no more than six minutes long and their performances were broadcast on YouTube as a virtual concert. IYCF “Aegis Carminis” welcomed children’s choirs, youth choirs and older choirs with members up to 27 years old. BYU Singers competed in the last category and took first place with their performance of “Let My Love Be Heard” by composer Jake Runestad. They also won the Grand Prix of the competition, which came with a prize of 700 euros (851 U.S. dollars). The BYU Singers submitted the piece “Let My Love Be Heard,” which came from their one and only live streamed concert this last November. “That particular concert broke a School of Music record at the time for how many people watched over livestream,” said Crane. “It was the first live music making had seen since everything had shut down months earlier . . . even though we couldn’t actually see anyone in the audience, we could still feel the emotion of the moment.” For choir member Hannah Klassen, reliving that performance with the live streamed competition was an emotional experience. “When our video was up, I was driving with the volume as loud as possible, soaking all of the beautiful music in, and I started to tear up so much that I had to pull over,” Klassen said. “I am immensely grateful that I had the chance to be transported back to such an amazing experience.” For fellow member Daniel Garrett, this performance was his last as a BYU Singer. Garrett, a baritone in the group for the last four years, said, “It was truly an unexpected honor to be able to participate in this wonderful festival and for the incredible outcome!” With all of the pandemic restrictions and safety protocols in place from this last year, the IYCF “Aegis Carminis” competition served as a light among the dark uncertainties that still linger from the pandemic. The name “Aegis Carminis” has a special meaning to the choirs: Aegis translates from Greek as a “shield” or “protection” from something, and Carminis translates from Latin as “song.” “So in a sense, we’re talking about how singing protects us,” Crane said. “I think that, for BYU Singers, the past year has clearly demonstrated this concept. For the students, this ability to keep singing helped shield them from the emotional turmoil and anxiety happening around them during the pandemic.“ Garrett agreed with Crane, adding, “While this year has had many challenges, it has also brought with it incredible opportunities to share our love of music and the Lord with others on a global scale. . . music like this helps spark in us hope and a determination tolet our love be heard.” This time next year, BYU Singers hopes to compete in person in a similar choral competition in Lithuania. You can view the BYU Singers’ performance here and the entire IYCF “Aegis Carminis” concert here.

Performance of ‘Alleluia’ by Elaine Hagenberg has more than 17,000 views on YouTube

Livestreamed concerts on consecutive nights promise an unforgettable vocal experience

BYU music student Christian Orme submitted an original composition to the 2019 Brock Competition for Student Composers and won second runner-up For BYU School of Music student Christian Orme, what began as a challenge from a friend to write an a cappella piece for BYU Singers has turned into an incredible opportunity to explore his identity as a musician and composer. After three days of composing in late April 2019, Orme finished “Hymn to the Night” at about 3:30 a.m. The composition was inspired by the text of the famous poem written by the nineteenth-century American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. “The melody and subsequent harmonies that serve as the foundational underpinnings of the composition came rather quickly,” said Orme. “I wanted to evoke the beauty of Longellow's words which personify the godly, peaceful and restorative presence that the night brings. As with all the music I compose and arrange, I seek to draw others closer to the divine by merging the various components of composition that I find most compelling and soul-expanding.” After the initial draft of the composition was done, Orme turned to BYU professor Andrew Crane for guidance and feedback because of Crane’s expertise in composing for choral groups. Read the full story at music.byu.edu.

Students experienced choral immersion while attending a study abroad in London — a city known for its rich choral traditions.

Choir returns after performing at the inaugural conference in 2006. BYU Singers have been invited to attend the National Collegiate Choral Organization’s 7th biennial national conference in November. They are one of only ten collegiate choral ensembles to be selected for this year’s 2017 conference. In order to be selected, ensembles must undergo a rigorous application process, according to BYU Singers conductor Andrew Crane. Groups must submit proposed concert repertoire, a letter from the supervisor of the sponsoring institution, and recordings from the current and previous year. The recordings are blindly evaluated by choral professionals from around the country and invitations to perform at the conference are extended based on quality of performance demonstrated by the recordings and the quality of the proposed concert repertoire. Recordings from both the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons were used to qualify for this year’s conference. “NCCO is the foremost professional organization for conductors who work specifically with choirs at the college/university level,” Crane said. “In addition to speakers, workshops and classes, one of the central elements of the conference is the opportunity to hear concerts of the finest university choral ensembles in the country.” The NCCO is the only choral organization specifically designed to serve choral organizations at the college and university level. This conference allows a unique opportunity for collegiate choruses to perform at a national level and offers lectures and other aids in professional development, according to its website. Biennial conferences have been held since the NCCO’s inaugural conference in 2006. BYU Singers are returning to perform at the conference for the second time after their performance at the inaugural conference under the direction of Ronald Staheli. “We are truly honored and humbled by the opportunity to return in 2017, especially among such an elite group of peer choral groups,” Crane said. The conference will take place November 2-4, 2017. The conference is hosted by Louisiana State University and will be held in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.