Hamilton College and Colgate University came together the weekend of April 20 for a joint chorus concert under the direction of Sinheang Lee, director of choral programs and assistant professor of music at Colgate University, and Victoria Nieto, visiting assistant professor of music at Hamilton College. Lee has an impressive and global background with experience leading choirs and teaching masterclasses in the U.S., Austria, Germany and South Korea. Nieto has a similarly global background, with roots in Venezuela and experience conducting workshops in Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay.
The pairing took place at Hamilton College, uniting the Colgate University Chorus and Hamilton College Choir. The setlist for this show featured Vivaldi’s “Magnificat,” Vaughan Williams’ “Serenade to Music” and more.
Sophomore and soprano Grace Owusu-Amoah spoke highly of the setlist.
“What I liked about the performance in itself was the variation in music,” Owusu-Amoah said. “One of our songs, ‘Ritmo,’ included clapping, snapping and even stomping, which was a nice mix with our other songs about love.”
First-year and soprano Katherine Pikul also expressed pleasure at the success of “Ritmo.”
“I feel like our concert went really well and we seemed pretty confident about parts that we previously struggled with, like the clapping section in ‘Ritmo,’” Pikul said.
Owusu-Amoah especially enjoyed performing the song “Let My Love Be Heard,” which carries sentimental meaning for the choral group.
“My favorite song was ‘Let My Love Be Heard’,” Owusu-Amoah said. “It’s my favorite because we sang it last semester, which is nostalgic. Also, there are several parts where each sectional begins differently, and having that part come together sounds beautiful.”
Owusu-Amoah also spoke fondly of the pairing between Hamilton and Colgate.
“I truly enjoy the collaborations that we have with [the] Hamilton choir, and if it was possible, I’d really hope to branch out to more colleges around us, like Syracuse [University],” Owusu-Amoah said.
Additionally, Lee presented a second show on Sunday, this time at the Colgate Memorial Chapel with the Colgate University Chamber Singers. For this program, “Love and War,” the Chamber Singers sang various songs dating back to 1505, including Monteverdi’s “Lamento d’Arianna” and “Hor che’l ciel.” All songs were performed in their original Italian, albeit with English translations provided in handouts upon entrance.
This show was special as student performers were accompanied by several professionals, including Sungu Kang, Katharine Burns, Yeheum Kwon, Sea Han, Alyssa Davis, McKenzie Smith, Kev Schneider and Peter Schoellkopff. Similar to Lee and Nieto, all have impressive and global musical backgrounds at institutions such as Yonsei University of South Korea and Yale University. They brought a new and rich perspective to the music.
Senior Marissa Realmuto commented on the relaxing qualities of the performance.
“It was a nice study break, just to listen to some live music and disconnect for a while,” Realmuto said.
Overall, the joint concerts successfully entertained Colgate and Hamilton students alike. Both music groups plan to continue to bring high quality shows to their respective schools.
Pikul encouraged students to join in on the fun.
“If you have any interest in singing, you should definitely consider joining the choir,” Pikul said. “We have a lot of fun with our pieces, and the people I’ve met there have become some of my good friends, so it’s definitely worth joining.”
