There usually aren't any venues around Brandeis where you can go for some gospel music and a taste of early 19th-century R&B, or even some soul. However, that was not the case on April 17, when the Brandeis University Chorus put on a concert featuring poems and music from the Harlem Renaissance. In fact, the concert included a variety of songs and genres, from spirituals to Broadway show tunes to gospel. With the entire University Chorus decked out in flowing black robes for the ladies and tuxedos for the men, Slosberg Recital Hall was transformed for a night into a combination church and jazz club with dimmed lights and a soothing feel. Under the direction of Prof. James Olesen (MUS) and with fabulous piano accompanist Ben Cook, the Chorus shone as the music reached the audience's ears. The concert began with two rousing poems by James Weldon Johnson and Countee Cullen, performed by Derek Strykowski '10 and Kristina Birthisel '13, respectively. The performers recited their poems as if in response to one another and showed passion and emotion in their delivery. Following their poems, the entire chorus performed three rhythmic spirituals, with solos by sopranos Sarah Pace '13 and Amelia Lavranchuk '12. From the start, the spirituals felt full-bodied and strong, resonating through the auditorium with power. The piano accompaniment gave the songs a gospel-like feel combined with the image of the organ behind the singers, onstage. Sarah Pace sang beautifully in her solo, a call-and-response section with the tenors and basses. The songs flowed so smoothly into one another that it was hard to differentiate between them, but the last song, "Holy Spirit, Don't You Leave Me," stood out because of the austere, religious quality the voices took on, and Lavranchuk's high soprano solo provided a nice contrast to the hushed tones.

Each set of songs was prefaced by a selection of poems in order to provide a smooth segue from one genre to another, some with better results than others. The next series of poems, for instance, dealt with religion, and Emily Griffin's '10 dramatic performance of "The Creation-excerpt" provided a nice segue into three spiritual songs sung without piano accompaniment in a choir-like tone. The tenors and basses represented their sections beautifully in "My Lord, What a Morning," singing out with more power than their numbers would suggest and engaging in a nice harmony with the sopranos and altos. The two other spirituals, although performed well, felt too controlled, performed in a classical way; rather than allowing the singers to get into the groove of things, lacked feeling at times.

Fiona Lockyer '13 reinvigorated the show with an emotional performance of Langston Hughes' poem "Dream Variation," leading into more jazzy songs representative of the Harlem Renaissance, such as "It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing" and "In a Sentimental Mood." The second song, featuring the quartet of Katharine Pena '12, Amy Englesberg '12, Matt Lawrence '10 and Matthew Cohen '11, started quiet but then grew louder and more passionate as the entire Chorus joined in. The quartet brought feeling to the song by smiling and swaying to the rhythm, especially Englesberg.

After two poems about violence and hatred, Heller School for Social Policy and Management staff member Alexandra Rubington swept the stage with her rendition of "Summertime," the famous jazz standard from the opera Porgy and Bess by George Gershwin. Gershwin composed the song in the 1930s in an attempt to create a spiritual in the style of African-American folk music. The effect is an operatic, high-pitched song that makes an emotional plea with the audience to continue believing. Rubington was a sight to behold as she showed such emotion while at the same time displaying her range and control of her voice, and the Chorus' hushed support added to the song's impact.

Although there were many wonderful performances, the highlight of the night was indisputably Nicholas A. Brown's '10 performance of "I Wasn't Going to Tell Nobody," the last song of the night. Brown led the audience in clapping with the beat, an essential element to any good gospel song in my opinion, and expressed his emotions openly for all to see. The praise song sounded joyous and upbeat, and it became jazzier as it went on. Brown excelled in his singing, but it was his open exuberance and enthusiasm that took the song over the top, evoking big rounds of applause and ending the concert on a brilliant note.

The concert was a great mix of Harlem Renaissance poetry and songs with a good selection of both spiritual and jazzy music. Some songs didn't capture the enthusiasm and spirit that their gospel nature intended, an artistic choice that resulted in perfect pronunciation but perhaps a bit too mechanical a performance. All in all, the show was a success, and my biggest complaint was the absence of the customary spread of food at the end of the show, a feature I have gotten used to and grown to expect from past concerts I have attended. However, the Chorus' performance was terrific, and I walked away happy that most of my cravings had been satisfied.

Editor's note: Fiona Lockyer is a Justice editorial assistant and Matt Lawrence is a Justice staff writer.