Chapel Choir Welcomes Summer Singers

Allan Friedman looked out over the 32 singers gathered in the carved, wooden choir stalls in Duke Chapel.

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"Looks like we are short on tenors today," he told the group. "That's okay. You'll just have to sing out to fill the space."

Friedman, assistant director for the Duke Chapel Choir, conducts a volunteer choir for Duke's 11 a.m. Sunday worship from June to August when the regular Chapel Choir is on hiatus.

 

The audition for the volunteer chorus? Singers simply attend the 9:15 a.m. rehearsal before the Sunday service.

Friedman enjoys the challenge of familiarizing the potluck choir with two anthems, three hymns and a choral amen in 80 minutes of rehearsal time.

"We've had as few as 12 singers and as many as 60," Friedman said. "It's a bit like looking into your fridge, seeing what's there, and whipping up a great meal."

But he seldom starts from scratch. Most Sundays, at least a few members of the regular Chapel Choir like Richard Heitzenrater provide a solid base.

Heitzenrater first sang with the Chapel Choir in 1957 when he was a student in the Duke Divinity School. Now a Professor Emeritus of the Divinity School, Heitzenrater regularly fills a spot in the bass section during the summer, as well as the academic year.

"I worship at the Chapel regularly, and I see singing in the choir as part of that worship," Heitzenrater said.

Friedman chooses music for the summer choir that veteran singers like Heitzenrater have likely encountered before. That familiarity allows him to focus the rehearsal on polishing the music and helping newcomers adjust to the chapel acoustics. Often, that means explaining how to sing in a building that can sustain an echo for up to five seconds.

"It can be intimidating for some people to sing in this space," Friedman said. "My work is to give the choir confidence and make them feel comfortable."

Near the end of a recent Sunday service rehearsal, Friedman glanced at his watch and asked the choir to return to the first anthem, a piece by Renaissance composer Orlando di Lasso. "I just can't help shaping this a tiny bit more," he said. He instructed the choir to sing a thrice-repeated phrase more quietly each time, letting the reverberation of the Chapel naturally draw out the final chord.

"Beautiful," he said. "Now let's robe up."

Just before 11 a.m., the choir - dressed in blue and white robes - gathered quietly at the entrance to the Chapel. As the congregation rose to sing the opening hymn, the choir filed up the center aisle to the choir stalls.

Following the Old Testament lesson, Friedman motioned for the choir to rise to sing the Orlando di Lasso anthem. Weaving their voices together, the choristers followed Friedman's subtle hand signals, increasing the volume and then falling gently back to a final soft, sweet chord that echoed through the Chapel.

A smile of satisfaction passed over Friedman's face. As he motioned the choir to sit, he offered one last signal: a thumbs-up.