KCMETROPOLIS.org
Kansas City's Online Journal of the Performing Arts

Regular attendees of Heartland Men's Chorus concerts knew just what to expect at the group's annual holiday concert this weekend...the unexpected. As many who have been a part of the HMC's past concerts will attest, Dr. Joseph Nadeau's programming and the choristers' singing always seek to take the audience on a journey through a myriad of emotions and musical styles. This year's concert, entitled "Bless My Family" did not disappoint.

As often occurs, the Heartland Men's Chorus performed at the historic Folly Theater. It seems that this performing space is meant especially for the group. The only drawback to the theater is its very small lobby area. The perks of the performances at the Folly, though, are great. The lighting, special effects, and sound are always impeccable, giving the artistic staff at HMC great flexibility in crafting a program that has one foot in traditional choral approach and the other in contemporary theatrical techniques.

In the first half of the program, the chorus sang a largely traditional program of holiday classics. The opening selection by the Heartaches, the organization's small vocal jazz ensemble, opened the concert with flair. In Christmas Once More, the Heartaches sang with good intonation on tight harmonies without the aid of a conductor or visual contact with the pianist.  The full ensemble shined as they sang Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day and Bring A Torch, Jeanette, Isabella. Both of these selections were wondrously accompanied by pianists Lamar Sims and Adam Hulstine. Dr. Nadeau provided subtle and lyrical direction during the Hebrew song Bashana Haba'ah. One of the more sentimental portions of the first half came during the singing of Stars I Shall Find. The group sang this song in honor of longtime HMC member Frank Waltkamp. The ensemble's unison lilting melody was quite effective; however, in ensemble portions of the song they suffered from a lack of rhythmic cohesion in the beginnings and endings of musical phrases.

A new work was premiered during the first half of the concert. The Promise: A Christmas Miracle was co-commissioned by the Heartland Men's Chorus, Seattle Men's Chorus, Philadelphia Gay Men's Chorus, and the Gay Men's Chorus of Houston. Written by Robert Espindola and Robert Seeley, this semi-major work sought to tell the tale of a family affected by World War II at Christmas in 1944. The piece was nicely orchestrated for small instrumental ensemble, and the vocal writing, although quite predictable, was a good fit for the story. In addition, the ensemble's great approach to diction allowed the story to come to life. The piece, written in a vignette style with no breaks in between sections, spoke of a different time, but it hit close to home given today's global conflict and turmoil. Soloists Presten Fry, John Edmonds, and Mike Sigler all gave convincing performances. Without giving the story away, the miracle at the end of the work was made much more poignant and unexpected through the clever use of poetic trickery...as the audience expected one word but received another.

The first half was concluded with the singing of the song God Bless My Family. As the choir and soloist Dean Sanderson sang the song, a touching slide show of family photos was displayed above. The message of the song, to bring family (both immediate and extended) together, provided a moving end to the first half of the concert.

As the ensemble returned to the stage for the second half of the concert, one could sense that the mood was about to drastically change. The singers made a wardrobe change, and the musical style switched from traditional to a Ferris Wheel-like revolving door of musical quotations, puns, and merriment. Santa and his reindeer made an appearance in a riotously funny setting of 'Twas The Night Before Christmas. This song quoted Vivaldi'sGloria, the Sound of Music, traditional country-western music, 50's doo-wop, gospel, hip-hop, traditional church hymnody, and even featured a great Heldentenor solo from Adam Wade Duncan. 

In true Heartland Men's Chorus tradition, the story of the little drummer boy was turned on its ear during the performance of a hilarious setting entitled The Annoying Drummer Boy.All the players, including Mary, Joseph, and "baby" Jesus were there. Not to be outdone were the wise men, three kings, and "Christmas Angel." The concert drew to a close with a parody of Deck the Halls and the ending piece, Heavy Christmas.  During their encore, the ensemble returned to the theme of the concert, reprising God Bless My Family.

The Heartland Men's Chorus, led by artistic director Dr. Joseph Nadeau, is one of Kansas City's musical treasures. Their performances delight and engage their audience in ways that few other vocal ensembles dare try. The group sings with conviction and feeling. I did notice occasional intonation trouble, and the lower voices sounded quite fuzzy at times compared to their upper counterparts, but that in no way detracted from the overall concert experience. The chorus sang the entire concert (about two hours with intermission) from memory, giving the audience that personal interaction that can't be had while singing with folders. With emotions ranging from silly to sentimental and from melancholy to merry, the Heartland Men's Chorus gave their highly devoted and large audience a lesson in love and the importance of family in this most cherished of seasons.
  

REVIEW:
Heartland Men's Chorus presents
Bless My Family
Friday, December 5 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, December 6 at 8 p.m.
Sunday, December 7 at 4 p.m. (reviewed)
The Folly Theater
12th and Central Street, Downtown Kansas City, MO

By R. Douglas Helvering

Classical and Vocal Contributor (Past writer)