Jubilate, 2018–2019

Greetings Jubilate Alums!

Greetings from University Baptist Church, the University of Virginia, and Charlottesville! Jubilate was very busy getting ready for a presentation of the Rutter Requiem last November (with the UBC Sanctuary Choir) and Lessons and Carols in December, and now we’re preparing for our spring tour to work with Hurricane Restoration efforts in Lumberton, NC. I have included our schedule and list of singers below.

We had a good fall, but recruitment still falls below the numbers we would like to see. We have a presence at the Activities Fairs and we have been trying to get into some of the Christian groups on grounds, but after showing a lot of early interest, kids tend not to follow through, or they audition and decide they don’t have time, or we are too Christian or not Christian enough, or too “choral” or “not choral enough,” or too “family” or not “family” enough.

Because of the size and some conflicts with tour, we are singing a lot of three-part music. The sound is good, and they continue to improve with each rehearsal. We are singing in a “madrigal” alignment – a tight semi-circle – and this has proven to be an effective tool for blending and ensuring that one section does not overpower another.

We are singing two Latin text anthems—“Exsultate, Jubilate” by Brian Lewis and “Gloria in Excelsis Deo” by Scot Crandal; “All the Earth Rejoice with a Gladsome Voice” by Vivaldi; a hymn arrangement of “Praise the Lord, Ye Heavens Adore Him” with congregational participation; several traditional and contemporary spirituals; and a contemporary piece with a very American sound, “We Labor Unto Glory,” arranged by our tenor, Victoria Lu. We are also singing a Pentatonix arrangement, “Take Me Home,” followed by a moving anthem, “Home (The Arms of God).”

We are excited to be returning to a working tour this year. Daniel Harper is from Lumberton, and we will be helping out some folks he has grown up with who are still in recovery mode after several hurricanes this past year.

A word about tour: Even 12 years ago, it was relatively easy performing an “all singing” tour. Churches were eager to have us come sing and feed and house us. Over the years, it has becoming increasingly difficult to find a church willing to come out on a week night to hear us sing, much less to feed and house us overnight. The working tour has been a good solution for us – we stay in one area, work during the day, and sing at night in area senior living facilities during the week and in churches at Sunday morning and evening services. As you can see from our schedule, we are singing in two churches on both of our pre- and post-tour concerts—at both of them early in the day. This may be a sign of the times and it has me away from UBC on three Sunday mornings in March. Obviously this isn’t ideal, but we are going to try it and see if in the future we can plan more Sunday morning concerts like this, allowing us to get into more churches.

If you are in any of the areas where we will be singing, please come join us and get to know us. We would love to see you and have you join us for “Beautiful Savior.”

Here is our group…

Jubilate Spring 2019
Sopranos: Altos:
Lydia Erbaugh (3rd year) Gabriella Bambino (4th year)
Christine Fontaine (4th year) Alexis Haskiell (1st year)
Elizabeth Franck* (Graduate) Anna Nissley* (Graduate)
Laura Gustad (2nd year) Claire Veasey (4th year)
Amber Leathers (2nd year) Alyson West* (Graduate)
Caroline Whitcomb* (Grad Student) Michelle Whitlock (1st year)

Tenors:
Victoria Lu (4th year)

Basses:

Adam Cohn* (Grad Student)
Daniel Harper (Grad Student)

(*these members are unable to attend tour)

…and here is our itinerary:

Sunday March 3
10 am Concert at CityLight Church, Roanoke
Lunch
2 pm Concert at Colonial Presbyterian Church, Roanoke

Tour March 9–15
Sat 9 Travel to Lumberton
Sun 10 Sing at a senior living facility
Mon–Wed, 11–13
Work in area hurricane restoration projects
Sing evening concerts at senior living facilities
Thu 14 Travel to Wytheville via Mount Airy, NC
Sing an evening concert at Wytheville Baptist Church
Fri 15 Travel back to Charlottesville

Sunday March 24
10 am Concert at Dayton Church of the Brethren, Dayton, VA
1 pm Concert at Montezuma Church of the Brethren, Dayton, VA

Sunday, March 31
4 pm Homecoming Concert