choirs

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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.

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As a continuation of its Set Apart project, the Brigham Young University Men’s Chorus will share its newest release, “Savior, Redeemer of My Soul,” as a free download starting December 4, 2015. The original Set Apart: Beloved Missionary Hymns album, originally released in April 2013, is still available as a free download. Both can be downloaded at. Hymns for the free Set Apart album were thoughtfully selected to especially honor prospective and current missionaries, and was originally created as a gift to all who share in the love of missionary work. Since the initial album release, songs from the album have been downloaded more than half a million times in 177 countries. Giving away a new song for free as a Christmas gift has become a BYU Men’s Chorus tradition. “We believe that music has the ability to teach indefinable truths, comfort in times of inconsolable pain and inspire even the hardest of hearts,” said Benjamin Jacob, president of the BYU Men’s Chorus. “Every time we sing, we bear our testimony of the reality of Jesus Christ. Men's Chorus is a place of refuge and strength for all as we seek to serve our brothers and sisters through song.” The BYU Men’s Chorus is the largest collegiate men’s choir in the nation. Conducted by Rosalind Hall, they serve as one of the pillars of the BYU College of Fine Arts and Communication’s performing groups, with 180 members and decades of rich, musical history. The choir hopes to spread joyful messages to everyone with the download of this original arrangement of crowd-favorite, “Savior, Redeemer of My Soul.” Rosalind Hall, the director of the BYU Men’s Chorus, considers this particular song an ideal gift to missionaries and to the world this Christmas. Hall feels this song took on new significance when many in Men’s Chorus choose to sing it as their audition piece. Hall soon asked retired faculty member Ronald Staheli to personally arrange and conduct this hymn for her choir members because she knew that no one else would write a more beautiful arrangement. “The first time that I started teaching it to the Men's Chorus, I knew that it would be a special piece. There was such a connection to it. They connected to it from the word go,” Hall said. “I know that missionaries out in the field will feel the same way–it will speak to their souls and it will be especially meaningful to them as they meet all the challenges that come to them as they devote two years of their lives to the Savior of the World.' While Hall and Jacob hope those preparing for missions will download the hymn, they hope that everyone will happily receive the chorus’ Christmas gift. Notable arrangers for the hymns, including Daniel McDavitt, Matthew D. Nielsen, David Zabriskie, Lane Johnson, Rob Gardner and Ron Staheli generously forfeited licensing rights so the BYU Men’s Chorus could offer the hymns on the album for free.

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