Love in all its forms – joyful, painful, nostalgic, and enduring – takes center stage in the upcoming Sterling College Choir & Highland Singers concert, “Love: Then & Still.” Set for Sunday, Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. at the United Presbyterian Church in Sterling, the concert invites audiences to journey through the full range of human emotions, expressed powerfully through music.
Directed by Sean Foster and Marisa Callan, the choirs will present a program that explores the beauty of love and its place in every season of life—from moments of celebration to times of grief, and the quiet spaces in between.
The title of the concert is from the song of the same title composed by Susan LaBarr. It is taken from a poem by Charles Anthony Silvestri which effectively represents what it means to live and love along the path of life.
“Sean felt we could center a concert around the idea that throughout our lives, we experience a multitude of exciting adventures, mundane day-to-day moments, and times of grief and loss,” said Callan. “Through it all, we must continue to love and be loved. Singing our way through these experiences can bring more beauty to our lives and those around us.”
While displaying the feelings that come with the human experience, this concert also touches on the lack of space given to people within modern society to fully embrace intense emotions.
“I think we live in a highly volatile time in American society, and with that comes a myriad of strong emotions. I don’t know that we always allow time and space to process strong emotions, especially grief,” said Foster
He continued, “I thought that engaging with those topics through song could be beneficial to our students and our audiences...and I hope that it reminds us of the fullness of our lives and that our stories are far from complete.” Said Foster.
For Callan, she specifically mentioned a song that will be sung by the Highland Singers entitled “The Place Where the Lost Things Go,” arranged by the BYU Vocal Point from the movie “Mary Poppins Returns.”
“It has beautiful harmonies, a lush piano accompaniment, and the students and I loved it from the first rehearsal. The sense of nostalgia makes it an enjoyable song to perform with friends,” said Callan.
Foster believes that the final piece of the concert the spiritual “Ain’t No Grave Can Hold My Body Down,” arranged by Paul Caldwell and Sean Ivory, will be a favorite among the audience.
Foster said that this has been his favorite concert since coming to Sterling College last year not only because of the beautiful arrangement of songs, but also because of how the students have grown together through the process.
“The students have leaned into the music and the rehearsal process in a way that can only happen because we have great leadership from the upperclassmen and quite formidable underclassmen, who have all risen to every challenge,” said Foster.
Callan added, “Our singers have matured so much over the last year, and as ensembles, they work harder and expect more from themselves and from each other.”
The 7 p.m. concert at the Church, 309 N. Broadway in Sterling, is free and open to the public. Although no admission will be charged a free will offering will be taken to benefit the music program. The concert will also be live streamed on the Sterling College Music Facebook page.
