Concerts of the Smoky Valley Men’s Choir happen only
every odd-numbered year, in conjunction with Hyllningsfest,
thus are rare and beautiful events. A feature of their concerts,
aside from their magnetic energy and resonance, is the winsome
pause, a breather for the performers and edification for
the audience. The director, Leah Ann Anderson, discusses
the group’s heritage, its generations, recognizes certain musicians
and especially the consummate accompanist Brenda
Finch; there is discussion of the music at hand, its history,
its significance.
But we especially remember one break during a
Hyllningsfest performance in 2011, when Anderson remarked
that the program included a lot of prayers – (Can you hear
the…) Prayer for the Children, for example. In a moment, she
told the audience, you will hear Dona Nobis Pacem (A Prayer
for Peace). “All these prayers for peace,” she said, “…and we
keep writing them because it hasn’t happened yet.”
A Prayer… advances with sentiment and passion, a pulling
of beauty, sorrow, faith. And that year, a select trio from the
Choir, with (the late) clarinetist Jay Steinberg, so enhanced
its intensity that many were moved to tears: eloquent music,
a powerful message. We hear it yet.
