By Daniel Buckwalter
To usher in the ambitious 50th season of the Eugene Concert Choir, on Nov. 16-17 there was a concert of light merriment and revelry, courtesy of the vocal chamber ensemble, Eugene Vocal Arts.
Wassail all around!
Renaissance Revels — 15 vignettes of love, drink and a fun poke at Queen Elizabeth I from P.D.Q. Bach — was performed with humor and good cheer on Nov. 16 and 17 in front of appreciative audiences in the Hult Center’s Soreng Theater. All of it was under the direction of Diane Retallack, aka Lady Diane for this performance.
The Elizabethan-era script, written by Nancy Hopps, involved twin love stories with the sisters Lady Katarina Standish (Abigail Spear) and Lady Phyllis Standish (Helen Strietelmeier). They were eagerly pursued — sometimes clumsily, sometimes with grace — by Lord Benedick D’White (Jon Lowery) and Lord Simon Simpleton (Joey Decker).
It was all fun and comedic, the plot centering on the occasion of the 50th birthday bash for the young ladies’ father, Lord Martin Standish (Curt Miller). More than 30 singers from Eugene Vocal Arts took to the stage in period costumes, joined by the five-member Early Instrument Consort, also in costume.
The festive affair included exaggerated acting (a special shout-out to Spear as the self-indulged Lady Katarina), exaggerated character names (Lord Artimus Fleetfoot, Lord Gaylord Gigglethorpe and Lady Piete Evangeleez, among others) and terrific solo and ensemble singing.
And, it was the perfect set up for the rest of the 2024-25 season. Happy 50th, Eugene Concert Choir.
Editor’s Note: Coming performances by the Eugene Concert Choir begins with George Frideric Handel’s Messiah at 2:30 p.m. on Dec. 15, which is especially meaningful to the Eugene Concert Choir because the group formed 50 years ago specifically to perform that masterwork.
The 2025 portion of the season starts with a special Family Concert: Singing Celebration for Kids on March 8, followed the next day by the 50th Anniversary Golden Celebration (March 9) as well as Shadow and Light: An Alzheimer’s Journey (April 12-13). The season finale on May 25 that presents Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Requiem and Johann Sebastian Bach’s Magnificat.
Information and tickets: eugeneconcertchoir.org
