Virginia Peninsula Community College's choir held its end-of-the-semester concert Dec. 8, putting the audience at Denbigh United Presbyterian Church in the holiday spirit.
"It's a good memory for students. They worked hard," said Kwisuk McDonald, who teaches the Chorus Ensemble (MUS 137) class and was the conductor at the event.
The hourlong performance consisted of 11 songs, which were divided into three sections. Before most of the songs, one of the singers offered a brief history and background of the piece.
The first section consisted of a canon by William Boyce, a traditional Korean Folk song, and an African-American spiritual song, "Standin' in the Need of Prayer."
The second section, another three songs, had the themes of hope and encouragement. It included a pre-recorded video version of "Bring us Hope."
The third section, which was five songs, delivered the spirit of the holiday season, including a piece from George F. Handel's "Messiah."
The performance was the second by a course-based music ensemble at the College since the pandemic. The chorus, which is made up of students taking the class for credit and on an audit basis, has been practicing twice a week for three months.
McDonald, who has been at the College since 2007, said the choir has a range of students and community members. Some have been singing for a number of years, others just one or two. She recorded the performance to use for review and as part of student grades.
The numbers for the program are down from a few years ago because of the pandemic and the loss of the Mary T. Christian Auditorium. However, McDonald had more students this fall than last fall, so she's looking ahead with confidence.
"I hope next year it's going to increase again," she said.
The beauty of the program, she said, is it's a course for the entire community.
"Everybody can join if they love it and want to come sing together, make music," she said.
For more information on the music program at the College, go to vpcc.edu.