By Kaylee Robinson
On November 30 at 4:00 p.m. Tactus, a small chamber ensemble of eight voices, took on the stage for the first time this year with their first recital. The performance was held in Christiansen Recital Hall at Concordia College.
Tactus has members ranging from sophomores to seniors, and together they work with a variety of diverse types of music. The diversity in their music ranges from “Underneath the Stars,” written by Kate Rusby, which is an English folk song, all the way to “Ilus Hääl,” written by Laura Jekabsone, which is an a Capella Latvian piece.
Chamber Ensembles consist of around five to 15 members, while a concert choir usually has around 60 to 100 members. Typically, those in a chamber ensemble also participate in concert choir of sorts.
Martan Gregoire, the student director of the group, said “I pick the music, plan and execute all the rehearsals, and kind of refine our sound.”
Gregoire is a senior vocal music education major at Concordia College, and this is his first year leading Tactus.
“I’m really excited to expose all the singers to new types of music that we have not sung before,” Gregoire said, “Chamber singing is different from full choir singing.”
The ensemble rehearses together once a week and has sectionals once a week. They often spend sessions working on blend and balance, especially because each voice part is so exposed. Members must hold themselves individually accountable while still matching the sound of the group.
Gregoire really wanted to embody the idea of singing different types of music. “We work on music from basically every era of music. We have a few from the Baroque and the medieval era, all the way up to contemporary brand-new works” he said.
Gregoire was thrilled to step into the leadership position this year for Tactus. “I’m excited to kind of teach them the ways of how you sing in a chamber group” he said.
Singing in a chamber ensemble like Tactus requires a high level of musicianship, teamwork, and collaboration. No voice part is the same, so each voice part brings something unique to the stage. The singers must rely heavily on their ear training and independence. This makes it all the more difficult to achieve a unified sound.
At Concordia College, the student-led ensembles are a helpful tool for the learning of music education majors. Those who are in the student leadership positions get to step out of their comfort zone and challenge themselves to learn more about conducting and leading a choir.
Tactus also has the opportunity to work with high school students. Gregoire said “I’m excited we always do a travel concert in the spring to go visit with a high school and kind of do a workshop with them. So, I’m really excited to meet new singers there and hopefully get some of them to come sing here at Concordia.” This is an opportunity for students to learn about music at Concordia.
As Tactus finishes their first recital, they continue to demonstrate Concordia College’s long-standing tradition of excellence in choral music. The performance offered both campus and community members a chance to experience the intimacy and artistry that defines chamber singing.
