This past Sunday, Oct. 6, I went into Weber hall to the box office. After waiting in a long line, I go up and claim my student ticket with my U Card. Surprisingly, I get to be in the front row. As there is the announcement to turn off my phone, all of the choir members dressed in black, march on out from behind the doors of the stage.

Lora Dixon, who is leading concert chorale, explains to the audience that the purpose of this concert is to express the human condition. This is accomplished through different languages and cultures performed. There were three choirs performing, including the Concert Chorale, Chamber Singers and University Singers.

The Concert Chorale started on the stage. When the music starts, there is a wave of nostalgia back from when I was in my school choir. This piece is called “Bonse Aba”, it's an upbeat piece about how all people who accept God will be welcomed as children of him.The solos brought the piece together and was the highlight of the piece for me.

The next piece was “Erev Shel Shoshanim” which had beautiful imagery in the translation talking about flowers and the environment around them is a great place to be with your loved ones. I loved how full the choir sounded, with a great range of sound volume and tone throughout the piece.

The following piece, called “Sa Ugoy ng Duyan,” is about wanting to rock in a cradle, going back into time when we were all little. The piano accompaniment from Madeleine Howey was wonderful, I could envision a star filled sky engulfing the room.

The following song, “Fõg elnã khel,” was about a forbidden love – which was a key universal theme. There was a solo at the start and more throughout the piece that gave a great opportunity for students to show off their skills.

The last song, appropriately named “Yonder Come Day,” started off with a solo from Jamal King Lunde, and had call-and-responses to quick tempo. The song finished off with a legato(smooth) ending, the perfect finish for the Concert Chorale.

The second group to come up was the Chamber Singers, a wonderful acapella group. Their first piece “Lerchensegang” started out with a person playing on a small instrument to bring the group into tune. This song was a beautiful way to show their pitch matching with a solid harmony. Their final piece “Ave Maris Stella”, was not a highlight for me but it was a nice singing of a religious song.

FinallyThe University Singers took the stage. Their first piece, called “Amen! Jesus Han Skal Råde,” was great because the rhythm of the piece and the synchronization throughout the choir sounded really good. Part of what kept the rhythm earlier on in the piece was the stomping by part of the performers.

The following piece was a Norwegian hymn “Das Vöglein” that has connections to UMD, according to director Dr. Christopher Mason. For context, this area has Norwegian roots and Dr. Sundquist, an accompanist at UMD, had his grandmother sing the same tune to him. Additionally, Dr. Wold, a past choir director for 30 years, and his cousin, Henning Sommero, wrote the piece.

To finish off his remarks, Christopher Mason, one of the choirs current directors, noted that “Das Vöglein” is about a bird that hops on many different branches of a tree. After hoping so many times it gets worn down, and appreciates the view from where they landed last. This song teaches the story of how we do need to relax before completing another task. It's a good lesson to remember and the piece articulates this well with a variety of different volumes and pitches throughout the piece.

A beautiful song “Beati quorum,” was performed next with unified singing that shows how The Chamber Singers operate as a group, working together beautifully. VocalEssence visited and performed with the UMD choir earlier this year.

The next song of the night was performed at a concert earlier this year in September. VocalEssence, a world renowned singing organization, came to perform here at UMD and did a masterclass with the UMD choir students. The piece that was performed was in honor of the VocalEssances director of 30 years. The piece sounded beautiful where the vocals accompanied the piano in a reflective, holistic piece that achieved the purpose they were going for.

On a similar note, the choir moves on to a piece about love with sounds of a similar vibe. The vocals accompany each other well, as their rhythms go back and forth, and then combine into one sound.

Star Gump is the writer behind The Gumption — a column dedicated to reviewing fine art shows at UMD and around Duluth.

Additionally, The UMD choirs – in my opinion – saved the best performance for last. “Walk Together Children” is about a “great camp meeting in the promised land”. This song screams of hope and singing helping lift the mood on a long journey. This hope lifts up people to believe in themselves.

Furthermore, when you do believe in yourself, you have gumption. Gumption in this case can be described as perseverance with a positive attitude. Some might say it's when you never give up and never what? Back down. From what I saw, the choir performers did show gumption, and I’m looking forward to their next performance in December. If you were to take one thing away from this, I believe you can do whatever you set your mind to just like the performers, and just let that gumption flow through you.

The Gumption: A Choral Tapestry