Rhapsody in View: The Centenary College Choir

Rhapsody in View: the Centenary College Choir

The 59th annual Rhapsody in View concert was presented by Centenary College of Louisiana’s renowned choir at the Shreveport Lions Club at the Riverview Theatre.

Rhapsody was an unexpected mixture of soulful ballads of homeland, God, love and folklore. Pieces like “How Do I Love Thee,” “Shenandoah,” “Things that Never Die,” and “Amazing Grace” were at once tender and compelling. Centenary’s choir director David A. Hobson introduced each song with a brief history of the time and the composer’s name. The choir was accompanied by talented pianists and at times other instrumentation; however, their confident voices carried the performance to perfection. Although extensive practice was evident, each song was fresh and dynamic, engaging the audience and proving that all honors and distinctions bestowed on the choir are well deserved.

The choir and specific soloists performed a medley of Les Miserables; Victor Hugo’s celebrated novel and the enormously popular Broadway musical. Although each song was a mere fragment of the original, the student soloists conveyed every emotion with feeling and solemnity. The Centenary choir elegantly told the story of Les Miserables in a few short moments; yet it was a harmonious expression of the powerful character of the novel and play, and a moving example of the beauty of voices united together.

The concert finished with a reunion of Centenary choir alumni led by former Director Emeritus Dr. Will K. Andress. Men and women emerged from the audience and each took their appropriate place among the current students. Sopranos, altos, tenors, basses: students and alumni joined together in strong unison Tenebrae Factae Sunt. The Centenary College choir’s performance of Rhapsody in View was an excellent representation of the talent and devotion of each choir member and its director, and well deserved the standing ovation it received.