The Seventh Annual Michael O’Neal Summer Singers performed Bach to Broadway to a wildly appreciative audience this past Sunday afternoon. Nearly 750 audience members heard 150 singers perform a program ranging from choruses of Bach, Handel and Haydn all the way to musical theatre selections from Man of La Mancha, West Side Story, The Phantom of the Opera, and Les Miserables. The variety of our programming in that concert is analogous to the variety of backgrounds of the Summer Singers membership. I’ve enjoyed conducting this non-auditioned chorus each summer in part because of the vast background of singing experiences represented. The Summer Singers chorus includes individuals who might never be comfortable going through an audition procedure for our regular chorus membership to singers who are professional musicians and just don’t have the time to participate in a chorus during the regular season. When you take these two extremes and add singers who are at every level between the two, you have The Michael O’Neal Summer Singers! I love working with these folks for a number of reasons, not the least of which is their obvious joy in making music, and making it to the best of their abilities. As I told them in the warm up for our Sunday concert, in choral singing we often experience the Gestalt theory of the “whole being greater than the sum of its parts.” In other words, we are able to accomplish something together we could never achieve individually.
For seven years my summers have been immeasurably blessed by my work with these wonderful and dedicated singers. This summer was especially rewarding. My sincere thanks to all of them.
Filed under: Choral experiences Tagged: | audition, Bach, Bach to Broadway, Gestalt, Handel, Haydn, Les Miserables, Man of La Mancha, Summer Singers, The Michael O'Neal Summer Singers, The Phantom of the Opera, West Side Story
This was my 4th summer sing, and I almost had to quit because of family difficulties. But even with difficulties, the rehearsals and the performance lifted my spirits and my soul. Thanks to you, Michael, and to John.
I’ve been part of MOSS for 5 summers now, and it simply is a can’t-miss experience for me! A friend posted a link to Robert Shaw’s Kennedy Center Honors program, and viewing it reminded me not only of his enormous contribution to music in our area, but the legacy that Michael and others so wonderfully carry on. Music is indeed a kind of mysterious magic that elevates and enriches us in ways we may not even understand. Plus, I had no idea that Jean Stapleton was a member of the Collegiate Chorale! Thank you so much, Michael, John, Tom, Cammie, everyone who makes this experience what it is.
I so enjoyed being back with the Summer Singers. After my husband passed away, I was unable to sing to two years! It is so good to be back. Michael, you made it such a fun experience. Thanks for all your hard work and dedication. And John, Tom & Cammie added so much to an already great experience. What an extra treat to hear that pipe organ! See you next summer!
I have sung with the Summer Singers for five years now and have loved the experience. I also have learned new music and new ways
to enhance my choral singing. Michael, you may not realize it, but you
and your staff are a blessing that is given to all the singers who pass through your door. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
This was my sixth season with the Summer Singers and words cannot express how grateful I am to have been given the opportunity to be a part of this summer group. The music was beautiful this year, and “Somewhere” truly touched my heart. The CD produced from the May concert, “Ballads, Blues and Broadway” is truly remarkable. I absolutely love it and play it constantly! My husband was really amazed when I told him that I would give my life to have had the opportunity to sing those beautiful standards with such accomplished singers and musicians, and of course, Michael. You are all to be congratulated for producing such a fantastic CD.