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Arcadia Weekly Jan 31, 2019
The San Gabriel Valley Choral Company will be presenting “All Souls Eve” on Oct. 28. – Courtesy photo / San Gabriel Valley Choral Company
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Image used for illustration purposes only. – Courtesy photo/ Pixabay
By Galen Patterson
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints hosted an inter-faith choral concert on Sunday, Jan. 27. More than 100 people of different faiths piled into the church hall for the supreme acoustic gathering that ensued.
The performers numbered 19, though the program highlighted 21 by name. The performers would occasionally break into smaller groups. One singer, Jospeh Sipfle, commandeered the piano in the hall, and filled the room with music both from his voice and the instrument.
Before each song, the performers told the story of the piece they were about to sing, helping the audience understand the context on the music and also the translations for the pieces in languages other than English. One story told of the composer Felix Mendelssohn-Bartoldy being stoned by angry neighbors on the streets of Leipzeig, Germany, and how he would recover and compose music.
A Mormon door man, Tim Newton, explained that the concert was intended to be a celebration of like-mindedness, regardless of approach, “saying we’re all on the same team.”
Two of the singers, Bethany Tutungi and Rae Cuevas have been musicians since 2011. Both of them studied music, and they carry on their study through choral music. Both singers agree that they are actively seeking gigs for their choral group, and are flexible on the content of the music.
With a nation in turmoil, and opinions torn among new allegations of misconduct, fraudulence and espionage, communities are still gathering to celebrate togetherness, just like the patrons of the Arcadia Stake on Sunday.
The choir received a standing ovation.
