Sonus Entrances Nashville with “Dusk to Dawn”
A full crowd gathered in First Lutheran church Nashville for Sonus’ 12th season concert, “Dusk to Dawn”. People from all walks of life, of all ages, were brought together by their love of music. Sonus specializes in straight-tone a cappella music. Straight-tone is a vocal technique where vibrato is minimized. A technique often utilized in modern settings for blending and showcasing overtones. However, it can also be taxing for the singer and, in a group like Sonus, there is little room for error. But when done well, straight tone singing is extraordinary.
Sonus’ blend was exemplary, especially given that one of their sopranos had taken ill with laryngitis the day before the concert. Singers who had practiced the same part for months hurriedly switched parts to compensate for her absence, and despite this, the concert went off without a hitch. Before Sonus took us on a nocturnal journey from dusk to dawn—with a few stops in between—they eased us into the concert with a set of lullabies and prayers.
The first lullaby was written by none other than Sonus’ Composer-in-Residence and Artistic Director, Timbre Cierpke, entitled “Mother God”. The next piece was by Kentucky-based composer Rachel Grimes, who has worked with Sonus before on her folk opera The Way Forth. She was in attendance for their performance of her piece “May the Night”. The composition highlighted delicate high notes sung by Molly Hansen who also had a solo in their next piece, “Sauntri” by Michael McGlynn. “Sauntri” also utilized soaring melodies in the soprano line that Molly navigated with ease. Molly’s voice was light and airy, almost childlike, as she sailed through high notes at an impressive piano.
Successful in entrancing the audience, Sonus transitioned to their next set, Twilight. While each piece was well blended and musical, I would have appreciated more contrast between the song selections to refresh the listener and add more appreciation to each individual piece. That being said, Sonus championed some of my favorite Baltic composers, Arvo Pärt (Estonian), and Ēriks Ešenvalds (Latvian), as well as Norwegian composer Ola Gjeilo and Swedish composer Sven-David Sandström. While some songs like “Spheres” by Gjeilo are played on repeat in my car, there were also compositions I hadn’t heard before.
One of which was a piece by Arvo Pärt. “Morning Star” hints at Pärt’s compositional technique, tintinnabuli, meaning small bell in Latin. Tintinnabuli style is based on the relationship between two voices: the melodic (M voice) and the Tintinnabuli voice (T voice). The T voice is comprised of notes from the tonic triad. While the M voice has more leeway, it still orbits the T voice. Both tenor and alto entrances exemplified the relationship between T and M voices. The piece felt older, and though still very different stylistically, I wonder if Pärt found some his inspiration for this piece in Gregorian chant.
One of my favorite pieces of the night was “Solstice”. Singers are trained to think and breathe as one creature. The intensity Sonus performed with was infectious. Even from the audience, I found myself taking a sympathetic breath with the singers, completely engrossed. A firetruck sounded during “Solstice” but rather than detracting from the performance, the soundscape enhanced the otherworldly quality of the piece.
Composer Eric Whitacre is well known and beloved by many in the choral world. His cluster chords are famous. “Water Night” was an excellent choice for this group’s timbre (no pun intended). The basses were foundational to this piece and were continuously strong and present throughout the entire concert. This piece let them shine.
As previously mentioned, straight-toned singing allows overtones to be heard clearly. During this performance there were several instances where those silvery tones shone through. “Water night” has text painting throughout that Sonus paid great attention to. In sections such as “flowing from the center” Sonus used the push and pull of descending notes to mimic waves flowing to shore, crashing together to form new textures.
One of the last pieces of the night was also by Timbre Cierpke, who premiered her latest composition, “Awaken the Dawn”. The piece featured tumbling melodies and close harmonies fitting the group’s established style. Cierpke showcased her fellow Sonus members Shae Lime (soprano), Timbre Cierpke (alto), Matthew Serrato (tenor), and Riley Eddins (bass) via solos.
We traversed through the depths of night to the breaking of day, lulled into a dreamlike state. The spell was gently broken by the benediction, appropriate for church, “E’en So, Lord Jesus, Quickly Come”, by Paul Manz. This hopeful conclusion to the night sent audience members meditatively on their way, with hope and light in their hearts. Nashville has a treasure in Sonus and their musicality was inspiring.
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Sarah Queener is a soprano currently based in Middle Tennessee. Her interest in music began at a young age, starting with taking piano lessons. She later transferred her musical interests to pursuing voice and earned her bachelor’s in Vocal Performance. She currently resides in the Murfreesboro area and is a second-year vocal performance master’s student at Middle Tennessee State University.
