ICC Concert Choir Brings Peace and Hope

EAST PEORIA — Music is a relief that takes the stress away, it makes us find hope and beauty and that’s what the audience at Illinois Central College simply saw.

On Nov. 25, the ICC Arts and Communication Department Music Program presented a combined concert that featured the ICC Concert Choir with the ICC Chamber Singers at the Performing Arts Center. During the show, students were out collecting donations that will go directly to the Red Cross Central Illinois relief efforts.

The first performance of the night was from the ICC Concert Choir with the director Julie Clemens and Ryan Klaus on the piano. The song was “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning” by Bob Hilliard. The performance also featured Courtney Daniel for a solo.

As the show moved on, their next performance was catchy. The song was “Cindy” and it was a hoedown style with a great vocal beat that made you want to move around just a bit.

“I thought that [Concert Choir] was fantastic,” said Jim Stevens, 42, of East Peoria. “They performed really well.”

The show moved on with the ICC Chamber Singers, directed by Douglas Grogan with Klaus on the piano. The song that they performed was a combination and Grogan told the audience to wait on the applause after it is over.

The songs were “An die Musik” by Franz Schubert and “Magnificat” by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi. The performance was similar to listening to smooth church hymns.

As the show moved on, their next performance was a holiday tune “The First Noel” by Dan Forrest. The performance made it seem like Christmas was already here even though Thanksgiving was still only a couple days away. It had this pleasant feeling that comes around for the holidays.

Just before the show ended both choirs came together and performed the song “Hope for Resolution” by Paul Caldwell and Sean Ivory, with William Swearinger on the percussion. It was a genuine performance to pay way for the aftermath of the tornado that hit Washington.

“I thought that that performance was simply beautiful,” said Donna Jones, of East Peoria. “It’s just amazing how something so simple like music can make us feel good.”