Singers and audience members were welcomed by the happy tunes of the BYU–Hawaii Street Band as they filed into the Cannon Activities Center. People were standing at their seats, dancing and clapping to the music while waiting for the BYUH choir concert entitled “Out of Darkness” to start. The lights slowly began to dim and revealed a small candle in each choir member’s hands as an audio compilation of different personal accounts of the pandemic played over the speakers, setting the tone for the night.
Jonah Gunter, a sophomore from Ka’a’awa and Washington majoring in intercultural peacebuilding, said the theme of the performance spoke to the dark times of the pandemic and how people can continue moving forward.
Erica Glenn, choir director and visiting assistant professor of choral activities and voice in the Faculty of Culture, Language & Performing Arts, said the performance, held on Oct. 23, 2021, was a new kind of choir concert that included spoken pieces, drums, ukuleles, a street band and hula dancers from the community. Both the University Chorale and the BYUH Ho’olokahi Chamber Choir performed in the concert.
Songs from around the globe
Ashley Howell, a senior from Exeter, California, majoring in biomedical science, said the performance focused on using music from all different cultures and sharing the significance of those pieces with the audience.
Anavai Brothers, a sophomore majoring in communications, said as a local from Kahuku, she appreciated Glenn’s dedication to incorporating Hawaiian language and culture into the performance.
Songs like “Hlohonolofatsa,” the South African Greeting Song, “Dahil Sa Iyo,” a love song from the Philippines arranged by Mia Malit and “A Kou Aloha No/I Am a Child of God,” composed by Glenn, were featured in the performance. Howell said these songs “spoke to the nature of the theme” and BYUH.
Kelly Beazer, a junior from Arizona majoring in psychology, said singing “Hawaii Aloha” at the end of the concert was an emotional moment. She said it was also perfect timing because it boosted the messages BYUH President John Kauwe and Elder Jeffrey Holland shared during President Kauwe’s inauguration.
Brothers said the concert was a way to show how Christ’s light is always there, even in times of darkness, and how there is always “a light at the end of the tunnel.”
An energetic performance
The performance was done in five sections, telling different stories of hardship, life and light from around the world, such as the Hawaiian legend of “A Bowl of Perfect Light,” and were related to the spiritual journey of life and the pandemic. Each part was accompanied with projected images of student art pieces that illustrated the meaning of each section.
Howell shared Section 1, “Born into Light,” was all about how each person is born with a divine purpose. Beazer added the Ka Pa Kani Ko’ole O La’ie, or BYUH Polynesian Drumming Ensemble, performed during this section and added to the experience by incorporating different types of music and culture.
Section 2, “Gaining and Losing Light,” consisted of Glenn’s composed version of “I Am a Child of God” and a Filipino love song. Howell shared having these two songs in the performance reminded her God knows and loves her and how she should love others.
“Alone in the Night,” or Section 3, had individual performances from the two choirs. The University Chorale performed “Keep Your Lamps Trimmed and Burning” by Andre Thomas and the BYUH Ho’olokahi Chamber Choir performed “Stars” by Eriks Esenwalds. Howell shared these songs were fun to listen to because they were more about sound than lyrics. “Stars,” said Howell, made her feel like she was in outer space.
In Section 4, “Called Back by Light,” Iese Wilson performed “Hiki Mai E Na Pua I Ka La’ie” accompanied by the conch shells played by Allie DeGraffenried and William Kaimipono Waite. The University Chorale, hula dancers and ukulele players then performed “E Ala E,” or “Come Arise,” that consisted of words from a Hawaiian chant by Pualani Kanake’ole Kanahele.
Beazer said, “It was exciting to see the Hawaiian culture being integrated into a choir performance like this.” Using the Hawaiian language and traditional songs and chants was a very spiritual experience, she added.
In Section 5, “Sharing the Light,” the choirs sang “Laudate,” “From this Place” and “Celtic Blessing.”
Beazer added being able to sing with the choir made her feel the spirit of aloha and togetherness.
The performance was unlike anything she’s ever seen before, she continued. “I’ve been in choir and have seen a lot of choir concerts, and they are very exciting in a very formal way, But I love the amount of energy brought to this concert by Dr. Glenn. I can see how that transferred over to her students.” •