By MAGGIE MCMURRAY
Moapa Valley Progress
An overflow crowd packed the main hall of the Old Logandale School on Saturday night to hear the Zephyr Singers spring concert entitled, “Songs of America”. The night was full of patriotism and celebration of country and freedom from the first to the last.
The concert, under the direction of Gaye Nelson and with the very talented help of accompanists Sherrie Whitney and Linda Lyon, began with an American favorite “Homeward Bound” arranged by Mack Wilberg with Mary Lou Whitey on the alto recorder.
They followed this with “I Will Arise,” arranged by Robert Shaw, and “Down to the Water to Pray,” arranged by Larry Harris. The group followed this with, “Till There Was You” from the musical The Music Man.
Select students from Perkins Elementary 4th and 5th grades, under the direction of Raquel Thompson, sang charming renditions of a few Disney songs. Their repertoire began with “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” with solos being sung by Kevyn Rhude, Dianne Leavitt, and Lorelei Sobrio. They followed with “Hakuna Matata” and a medley of songs called “Disney on Broadway.”
The Zephyr singers returned with a tie-in Disney solo by Zephyr singer Jenna Rhude. She sang a lovely rendition of “Candle on the Water” from Pete’s Dragon. She left the stage and the tenors and basses took over and sang a fun arrangement of “Workin’ on the Railroad.”
One of the most beautiful songs of the night was next. The group joined together in 4-part harmony again to sing “Pilgrim Song,” arranged by Ryan Murphy. This powerful and heartfelt arrangement is based on a traditional American tune and lyrics. They followed this piece with another traditional American folk song: “Shenandoah” in an arrangement for sopranos and altos, giving the higher voices a chance to shine.
For the concert’s finale, choir president Kelly Booth spoke to the audience about the Civil War, which was the birthplace of the “Battle Hymn of the Republic.” In the hush brought on by his stirring words, Jane Solomon began the piece with the piccolo. The basses joined in singing, followed by the whole choir, leading the audience to give the group a standing ovation.
The concert finished off this year’s Moapa Valley Performing Arts Council season. Council president, Lance Mortensen was pleased with the evening. “We appreciate all the time the Zephyr singers put into preparing for tonight and the wonderful job they did,” he said. “We also appreciate the community coming out to support us. It was a great patriotic tribute to our country.”
Zephyr Director Gaye Nelson was also pleased with how the evening went. “This was fun to do,” she said. “We enjoyed preparing all the songs. We have been singing together for several years now and our sound is coming together. It’s a great group to be a part of.”
