VIVA VOCE! in concert, with guest artists Yankee Clipper, Friday evening, Dec. 1; Thompson Chamber Music Hall. Additional performance Saturday, Dec. 2, at 7:30 p.m., in Murray High School Auditorium (5440 S. State St.). Tickets are $7 and $5 and are available at the door.
Performing to a sold-out audience Friday evening, Viva Voce! presented a thoroughly enjoyable concert that blended folk music from around the world with songs dealing with the holiday season.
Under the direction of its founder, Jean Applonie, the 40 women who make up Viva Voce! sing as one voice. Their intonation is flawless, their sound is rich and warm, and they perform with an enthusiasm that is infectious.
The group opened the concert with a set of American music. Starting off with Aaron Copland's "Zion's Walls," the ensemble segued into Jane Fjeldsted's lovely a cappella song "How Can I Keep from Singing," before performing two American Christmas hymns, "Star in the East" and "Wondrous Love."
Next, Viva Voce! sang a couple of contemporary settings of religious texts: David Reznick's declamatory "Ave Maria" and Gwyneth Walker's thoughtful interpretation of "The Lord's Prayer."
A group of international folk songs followed next: "Tum Balalaika," "Who Can Sail?," "The Blooming Bright Star of Belle Island," "Once I Had a Sweetheart," and "Niska Banja." Jenny Sterne, incidentally, was outstanding in her solo in "Once I Had a Sweetheart."
Guest artists Yankee Clipper accompanied Viva Voce! on several folk songs, before the group launched into their own set of Christmas music.
The four members of Yankee Clipper (Cliff Butter, Mark Jardine, Stan Jensen and Paul Rasmussen) both sing and play a variety of instruments. For their set, they sang the English carols "The Holly She Bears a Berry" and "The Wren," before giving instrumental renditions of the Belgian carol "Kierstlied" and a traditional Irish reel, "Christmas Eve Reel."
Viva Voce! returned onstage for a series of Christmas songs, starting with "O Come, O Come Emmanuel," in an especially effective arrangement by Andrew Carter.
Soprano Shannon Skalla was wonderful in her solo in "On Christmas Night," and the chorus gave a delightful performance of "Away in a Manger."
In a nod to Chanukkah, Viva Voce! also did a Jewish song, "S'vivon," before ending this set with a rhythmic and upbeat English tune, "Traveller's Tales," in which they were joined by Yankee Clipper.
The evening ended with two dynamic spirituals: "O the Savior's Comin' Hallelu!" and "Freedom Come."
Viva Voce! and Yankee Clipper also treated the audience to an encore: the poignant song "Let Union Be."
E-mail: ereichel@desnews.com