Expressions @Ball State

Expressions, the advanced women’s choir at MV, was invited to sing with the Ball State Women’s Chorus at the Women of Song Concert, and they accepted the honor. This concert was during women’s week, which happened to coincide with spring break. Two-thirds of the Expressions ladies were able to participate in this annual concert.

We warmed up at school before leaving and were given more time to rehearse in Choral Hall at Ball State. I’m glad we were given that hour because I personally felt like we needed time to polish our songs.

After we rehearsed, we were able to observe the BSU Women’s Chorus rehearsal. All the ladies were very focused and got work done with the guest conductor Dr. Holly Dalrymple. When they sang, the blend between voices and the balance between different voice parts were equal. It seemed as though they were singing with one voice, even if they weren’t singing the same notes.

We had a clinic session with the guest conductor at Ball State, Dr. Dalrymple. We sang Susan Brumfield’s arrangement,“No Time,” for her before she began to give us helpful tips. She taught us how to produce a more mature sound by using several warmups and explaining what we should be thinking during each section. After our clinic with Dr. Dalrymple came to an end, we had a break for dinner and returned to Sursa Hall.

The last rehearsal, before the concert, took place in Sursa Performance Hall. Singing in there felt very strange. Whether it was because I had gotten used to singing in the choir room at MV and not familiar with singing in legitimate concert halls, I do not know. However, I was and still am glad that I had to opportunity to stand up onstage and sing before the concert so that we could get a feel for the concert hall.

We got dressed in our dresses back in Choral Hall and were able to watch and listen to the last rehearsal for the Ball State women as well. And, in no time, it was time for us to go backstage and open the concert. After our set was done, we sat in the audience until we were invited back onstage for the last two songs.

I greatly enjoyed hearing the Ball State Women’s Chorus sing at the concert. They were as good as, or perhaps even better than, they were during rehearsal, and the audience could tell the different moods of each song they sang. The four songs each had their own groove, and there were definite differences between each one.

“Singing with the Ball State Women’s Chorus was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Christina Cory, 10. “It was such an amazing experience. We all worked so hard and the results were unbelievable. Thank you, Ball State, for inviting us. We will forever treasure this experience.”