I admit I had my reservations about Friday night’s VOCES8 concert. Within my first two years at Houghton, I heard the famed Chanticleer sing sweet melodies from the Wesley Chapel stage and they set a high standard. So when I saw that a group called VOCES8 was coming to campus, I immediately and rudely thought, “What, so we couldn’t get Chanticleer?”
Trying to keep an open mind, I saw that they were from Britain. That is a redeeming quality; I like the Brits. I would spend another semester in London in a heartbeat. I like their characteristically dry sense of humor. I like their museums, their fish and chips, their countryside. They have a lot going for them—James Bond, Mr. Bean, corgis.
Arriving last Friday night at the chapel, I hoped VOCES8 would play up their “Britishness.” They did not disappoint on any level. The octet of singers, six men and two women, sang a program entitled, “British Invasion Mixed.” They had not even sung any notes yet, and I was already halfway to being won over by their program title. Looking across the page at the list of singers, I saw British last names like Dickins, Wardle, and Dressel and first names like Barnaby and, yes, Dingle.
But all British love aside, these eight people knew how to sing. And sing practically anything. This program was the most diverse I had heard in a long time. Their repertoire spanned a timeline of roughly five hundred years. They sang Renaissance pieces by Byrd and Praetorius, jazz songs by Nat ‘King’ Cole, a gospel piece, “Go Down Moses,” and a wide assortment of popular music, including songs by Mumford & Sons, Simon and Garfunkel, and The Beatles. And the genres were not all clumped together, either. One minute I was listening to Renaissance and the next, jazz.
Instead of creating a jarring affect, the switching back and forth between styles kept the overall tone of the performance fun and light. Of their varied format, Sally Murphy said she “was pleasantly surprised by their playful willingness to branch out into different genres.” They were not afraid to spice things up a little either with some funny choreography, like in the James Bond tribute, “Nobody Does it Better,” or the ending number, “Slap that Bass.”
Most of the members of VOCES8 would periodically come to the mic and say a few words about the next selection. One such member included the aforementioned Dingle. I think if I ask people who went to the concert in several months’ time what they remembered most about the program, they would mention Dingle, and not just because of his unusual name.
As the tallest member of the group, with dark-rimmed glasses and well-poofed hair, Dingle immediately captured the audience’s attention. His string bass impersonations kept the jazz pieces alive, while his fragmented, witty speeches into the mic kept the audience chuckling. Not to mention how everyone swooned at his beautifully resonant solo during the opera medley encore. Oh, and do not forget his drunk play acting during said encore as well.
But not only Dingle enchanted me. All the singers kept me invested in their performance with the overall atmosphere they created. This concert was about enjoying and appreciating a wide range of music, all the while having a fun and relaxing evening.
While there are not any more Distinguished Artist concerts this year, there will be some next year, and I encourage all Houghton students to attend. They are free! Non-students have to pay fifteen dollars. But the free part is just a bonus. These concerts provide students with a professional-level performance right here on campus. It is fun to get a little dressed up and hear some good music. And if there is another “British Invasion” at some point, you would not want to miss it.