Even a surprise snowfall couldn’t chill the warmth in Central United Methodist Church on Sunday, March 6th. As if on cue, sunlight broke through the clouds and streamed through stained glass windows into the sanctuary, as the Asheville Choral Society, led by guest conductor, Dr. Melodie Galloway, took the stage for their spring performance, Be Here Now: Singing the Art of Living Composers.

The song choices, all contemporary pieces, were striking. The chorus began with the a capella piece Ubi caritas. They began softly and flowed together into a full movement with beautiful depth, and in that moment I was struck by how professional they sound. They plunged directly into a traditional Swahili song by Edward Robinson, giving the audience a peek of the energy they continued to exude for the entirety of the show.

The Sounding Sea, an ode to the ocean by George William Curtis and set to music by the talented Eric William Barnum, certainly lived up to its own namesake. Dissonant harmonies crested like waves as the collective voices sounded off a love song to the sea, encompassing and interpreting into song the many moods of the changing tides. It was, simply put, one of my favorites, and was beautifully done.

Hearing the chorus perform together, one would never guess that the Asheville Choral Society is undergoing change. Dr. Galloway is the group’s second of three guest conductors in what has been an unprecedented year of transition. The Society has had only two musical directors in the entirety of its existence—founding director Dr. Robert Keener and Ms. Lenora Thom, who announced her departure from ACS last year after a decade-long tenure. The ACS search committee has handpicked these three guest conductors for the 2011 season, and one will be stepping onto the conductor’s podium more permanently at the conclusion of the year.

In spite of a time in what might be a test of the coherence of this group of singers, the audience is treated to an excellent showing of musical talent from the Asheville area. The instrumentalists, including the fabulous local jazz group Inner Session Trio, added to the already tremendous musicianship of the chorus (save for one tenor who seems to not grasp the art of blending, bless his heart), creating a cultural experience of the highest caliber.

The Inner Session Trio had its moment in the sun when the chorus launched into a piece by the prolific and legendary Dave Brubeck, selections from his piece, Hope! A Celebration, joined by two soloists from the Asheville area: the very talented Simone Vigilante, a soprano of immense strength and facility while maintaining a vocal delicacy, and the multitalented Jonathon Ross, whose rich, ringing baritone made the sanctuary hum with life.

One of the best parts of this show is the poetry of the lyrics. The first half presents one of my favorite poets (with a hat tip to my mom for her love of his odd, dark humor), Ogden Nash. Animal Crackers, parts I and II, are six poems put to music by my new favorite composer, Eric Whitacre (if solely for this quote of his from the program notes: “I’ve always dreamed of writing a substantial collection of choral works that might enter the standard choral repertoire, something with the depth and passion of Monteverdi’s Fourth Book of Madrigals and the charm and timelessness of Brahms’s Lubebeslieder Waltzes … I wrote this instead.”). These short, staccato-type choral pieces were a real crowd pleaser, especially if you are unfamiliar with Ogden Nash’s, shall we say, untraditional writing style:

The Firefly

The firefly’s flame is something
For which science has no name
I can think of nothing eerier
Than flying around with an
unidentified glow on a person’s
posterior.

As much fun as these playful pieces were, the true beauty of the show came in the second half, which consisted only of the poetry of Rumi put to music by Christopher Theofanidis in a startling and moving piece called The Here and Now. It would seem rare that any creative spirit can shine brighter than the art of Rumi, who has been a standard-bearer for infusing spirituality into the art of lyricism, and is one of the world’s most well-known and adored poets.

But the chorus held its light and burned strong, bringing a living breath to the words of the poet many centuries gone. The beauty of Rumi’s poetry was enhanced and enlivened with the partnership of music. Lines such as “Be melting snow, wash yourself / of yourself” became more than just lessons in letting go, being, and understanding the essence of life and God; they became beautiful melodic sensations that lift the mind away from the physical body and into a momentary serenity that lives as long as the music sustains. The combination is breathtaking, and the audience was riveted and appreciative.

All day and night, music.
A quiet, bright reedsong.
If it fades, we fade.

~ From The Here and Now, composed by Christopher Theofanidis, poetry by Jalai al-Din Rumi