For those needing a welcome break from the hectic exam season, or just a pleasant reminder of the holidays, the Virginia Women's Chorus will present their Candlelight Concert this weekend in the University Chapel.
Originally founded in the early 1970s to compliment the nearly century-old Glee Club, the Virginia Women's Chorus at one time was affiliated with the music department. When the University decided that it was unable to fund single-sex, extracurricular music groups, however, the Women's Chorus was forced to disband. In 1994, several students restarted the organization, which now has 42 members and is completely self-sufficient.
In addition to numerous off-Grounds appearances at local conferences, NCAA sporting events and even the National Cathedral, the Women's Chorus typically performs three annual concerts on Grounds.
Musically, this year's winter concert should provide a wonderful program. Just as important, however, this show has special significance to the members of the Women's Chorus because it marks their final collaboration with Donna Plasket, the group's conductor since the fall of 1995.
Like their male counterparts in the University Glee Club, the Women's Chorus is one of the few extracurricular music groups who choose to work with a professional conductor.
"These women are very dedicated to quality," Plasket said. "I have high expectations, set the bar high and they always surpass it."
Since mid-August, Plasket has been serving as the director of the University's part-time Baccalaureate degree program. Because the program is new, it requires so much of Plasket's creative energy - time formerly reserved for her music - that she made the difficult decision to leave the group.
She said she thinks the choice was harder on her than on the singers.
"The Women's Chorus is enormously important to me, personally and professionally," she added.
But Plasket said she believes the women now are talented and educated enough to endure on their own.
"I'm very confident in their capacity as singers and as a group to continue doing quality work," she said.
"Doing this concert with Donna was such an amazing experience," Women's Chorus President Sharri Stevens said. "It's a huge commitment, but it's worthwhile."
The Candlelight Concert will be a healthy mix of several musical themes, related to both Christmas and Hanukkah. While the women will perform primarily classical pieces, they also will include some standard carols.
As an addition to the program, the Women's Chorus will share the spotlight, or candlelight, with special musical guest Hoo's in Treble. Comprised of 11 females, the recently formed group is the newest member of the University's a cappella tradition.
The music certainly is seasonal, but the atmosphere surrounding the Women's Chorus and the concert is also in tune with the holiday spirit. The Women's Chorus not only provides a wonderful service to Charlottesville, but also provides a necessary outlet for its members.
"I'm better for having been a part of the Virginia Women's Chorus," Plasket said. "And I hope they are better for having had me."
The holidays are about celebration and so is the Candlelight Concert. Plasket said she believes music represents much more than just notes on a sheet. "Through music, we grow as artists and as caring people," she said. "It draws us to another place, not just being better singers, but a stronger community."
The two groups will perform today at 9 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. in the University Chapel. Tickets, which cost $5 for students and $10 for non-students, are on sale on the Lawn.
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