ARTS STUDENTS ATTEND CHAMBER ARTISTS’ CONCERT IN TUCSON
by Ali Johns.
ORO VALLEY- Performing arts students accepted an invitation from their teacher, Justin Raffa, to travel to Resurrection Lutheran Church in Oro Valley to observe the Tucson Chamber Artists perform “A Midsummer (Night’s) Concert: Great Texts Set To Great Music.”
As stated in the playbill, “The Tucson Chamber Artists is comprised of many of the best singers in Southern Arizona who have performed with some of the finest ensembles in the world. Performing the gamut of musical styles, TCA presents the finest of a cappella music and works with instrumental chamber ensembles. The mission of TCA, is to provide professional-level choral music to the communities of Southern Arizona.”
Justin Raffa, who drives to Tucson to practice with the group, is the youngest member of the chorus. He also performed on Friday night.
One senior, Lindsay Stewart, who attended the August 26 performance said, “I heard the Tucson Chamber Artists sing before, and it was so good, I wanted to see more.”
Stewart went on to say, “I like the music better this time because it was more moving.”
The concert featured musical renditions of famous poems by authors such as William Blake and Alfred Tennyson.
The combination of these two genres prompted senior Kendra Bodry to say, “I liked how connected everyone was to the music. It was beyond just notes and rhythms. They sang with [their] hearts.”
Mr. Raffa found this a great time to show his students examples of both poetry and music..
“It served as a model experience to the members of the high school choir to observe first-hand how a professional choir conducts itself and how it sounds in performance,” Mr. Raffa said.
Mr. Rafffa is the Artistic Director for the Bisbee Community Chorus. He is currently directing “Oh, the Places You’ll Go! for the BCC. Performances are at the Lowell School Auditorium on Saturday, Sept. 24th and Sunday, the 25th.