Photos by Tanielle Gilbert
Grand Canyon University's Canyon Chorale and Critical Mass will belt out song after song tonight as part of their popular Masterworks Concert: Broadway, Opera and Jazz. But one student, junior Elyse Reed, will be hitting a high note as she celebrates a different achievement.
For the first time, a student’s song arrangement will be featured during the concert, which begins at 7 tonight in Paradise Valley United Methodist Church. Critical Mass will perform Reed's arrangement of “I’m Still Here” from Disney film "Treasure Planet."
“We are very excited to put this on the program,” Music Director Mark Fearey said. “It’s a really pretty song. She is invested in her music and takes it seriously. For the last two years, she has arranged for (GCU Club) A Cappella, so when she said she would like to do an arrangement for us, there was no hesitation.”
While on summer break, Reed was listening to the movie version of “I’m Still Here,” originally sung by the Goo Goo Dolls' John Rzeznik. Her first thought was, “Wow, this would be such a great song for an ensemble to sing,” Reed said. “I sat down and started writing it.”
She was drawn to the song, she said, because of its meaning beyond the screen. It focuses on self-discovery and finding a community that feels like home.
“A big part of coming to college is finding people that show you your potential and how transformative that can be,” Reed said. “The song is very relevant, even without the context of the movie.
“This opportunity means so much. Arranging is great, but you have to get your stuff sung for it to actually go somewhere. I didn’t know arranging was something I was interested in until I came to college, and it’s become something I am really interested in pursuing professionally.”
Throughout the year, Canyon Chorale and Critical Mass perform in various shows featuring classical, traditional and contemporary pieces, and students often sing in foreign languages. The variety challenges and shapes their vocal range, memorization and performance skills.
But this Masterworks Concert is the most anticipated of the year, according to faculty and students, because of the familiar Broadway, jazz and opera tunes, along with arrangements that reflect rich harmonies and emotional storytelling.
“This show is definitely a favorite around the whole choir,” junior Luke Lundberg said. “Most choir kids are usually also theatre kids, so there is a bit more energy in this concert. We enjoy singing the upbeat musical theatre songs. The audience tends to get into it a little more. This is one of our bigger shows, audience-wise.”
With a rigorous performance schedule that features monthly shows, the music program often faces a quick turnaround process. Students begin rehearsing their group pieces only a month before the shows. The demanding pace prepares students for the professional industry after college.
But what makes the long days worth it, say the students, is the chance to be featured in solo, duet, trio and quartet performances.
“This is my favorite concert that we do in the year because there are so many solos,” sophomore Allie Toothaker said. “The peers I normally hear in a choir setting, I love getting to hear them in an individual setting.”
Added Fearey, “Each year, I feel like more people audition for the solos, they put together the duets, trios. They stage it all themselves. It’s not just, ‘Oh, I have this in my back pocket, let me try it out.’ They take it seriously, and it’s an exciting chance for individual students to step out from the choir and show what they have.”
For senior Ben Sparling, the opportunities have given him a platform to show and grow his talents while earning a degree outside of the College of Arts and Media.
“I have been welcomed with open arms despite being an outside major,” Sparling said. “That speaks to the character of the department and the character of Critical Mass.
“It’s so open, and they don’t really care about where you are from, what your major is. It comes down to, can you gel well with this group? Can you lead? Can you find that gear for creating passionate, story-driven music?
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