Angelic voices ring softly throughout the Meyer Hall auditorium and the spotlight is focused on them. Families and friends fill rows and rows of red seats, letting the music of the piano wash over them. “An Autumn Evening of Choral Music” was the vocal departments first concert of the year was Oct. 9.

“I’ve been to the orchestra, the band, piano and now the vocal concert [this year],” principal Susan Atherley said. “They’re all spectacular.”

This years fall concert featured choral hymns, Hebrew songs, African tribal music and even a dance number. The attire consisted of black dresses and suits, but allowed flexibility when the department sang “Mambo Italiano” and put on their dancing shoes. Five boys and nine girls strutted their way across the stage performing twists and hip swivels while simultaneously keeping tune.

“I think we [preformed] together as a unit,” vocal senior Aaliyah Franklin said.

As the concert progressed throughout the evening and the songs switched, the vocal department switched girls out for boys. Together the vocal department boys got at least four songs to themselves out of the seventeen songs. When it came down to harmonizing with the girls they were spectacular, and even added a few musically enhancing elements such as the spiritual air effects in “Veni, Saancte Spirits (Come , Holy Spirit)” by Andrea Ramsey.

“I think we did pretty well,” senior vocal major Michael Margaritoff said. “Nothing was disastrous.”

Margaritoff continued on about the concert, giving away a few details where the department made error or slipped that may or may not have been noticeable to the crowd.

“The first concert usually shows we have room to grow,” said Margaritoff. “This is why we get an easier set list, but as the year progresses the set list gets more complicated as we’re trusted more.”

A special treat came in the form of silence. For the first time, the vocal department signed a song. Though they were not completely silent––it is a vocal concert after all––they were able to perform “The Sound of Silence” using their hands as a visual aid and their voices as stimulus. In order to make this all happen the vocal department teamed up with the ASL club president, communications senior Brooke Walling, and vice president, threatre junior Savannah Shearouse. Both performed on stage with vocal department.

“I’ve been on stage many times,” said Shearouse. “But it was an enjoyable experience because I had to speak through silence.”

The signed performance came as the last song of the concert bringing it to a beautiful close.

“It was amazing,” said Walling. “I hope that Ms. Sparks asks us to sign with them again.”