Requiem concert to bring ensembles together for musical masterpiece

Mozart’s Requiem will be performed by the Virginia Tech School of Performing Arts’ combined choirs and orchestra and the Blacksburg Master Chorale  on Sunday, March 30, at 4 p.m. in the Moss Arts Center. 

This is the first time that Requiem will be performed in the Moss Arts Center and the first time that more than 260 performers  across the various ensembles will participate. The event also marks the second collaboration between Professors Mathias Elmer, director of orchestral activities, and Dwight Bigler, director of choral activities. Their first collective effort  was the premiere of Bigler’s piece "Mosaic for Earth" in 2022, which won the American Prize for Composition in 2023.

Collaboration is a crucial part of music making. Elmer spoke about an experiment he conducts with the Virginia Tech Philharmonic Orchestra. “I usually, once a semester, mix up the seating of the ensemble — the more mixed the better,” he said. "What’s the result? The sound is so different: The breathing is better and the sound is better because you cannot just rely on a herd mentality of a section knowing its part. It develops the understanding and awareness that everyone must have the ownership of the music like a soloist, even in an ensemble setting. We know how to talk, but we forget how to listen. I think that’s a key thing.”

Bigler agreed.“How do you make harmony happen?" he asked. "You must learn how to listen.” He said in Ola Gjeilo’s composition "Dark Night of the Soul," which also will be performed at the concert, this listening and ability to find strength and balance brings out beauty within the piece itself. “The colors of each voice type are highlighted, and these beautiful musical overtones emerge,” he said.” It’s a literal example of how the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”

The whole of these ensembles is built upon the diverse array of performers from Virginia Tech and beyond. The Blacksburg Master Chorale singers come from Blacksburg, Christiansburg, Floyd, and Roanoke as well as West Virginia and include current and retired Virginia Tech faculty and staff and their family members as well as university  alumni.

The Virginia Tech ensembles also have a unique makeup. As audition-based ensembles, they are filled with students from multiple  disciplines, not just music students. For example, the Virginia Tech Philharmonic’s principal bassoon is a senior physics major who, in addition to playing that instrument for Requiem will also be performing the piano part for "Dark Night of the Soul."

Bigler said these ensembles also count as Pathways courses for students. “When we rehearse 'Dark Night of the Soul,' we talk about the 16th century poem and discuss how the modern composer, who is Norwegian and studied at Juilliard, created his haunting, stirring musical setting of that poem,” he said. “Choir members have told me about conversations they’ve had about the poetry’s meaning with other singers outside of rehearsal, like they’re in a book club.” 

In terms  of the educational value of these ensembles, Elmer said there's important diversity in repertoire for students to encounter. “It’s important to learn masterpieces, but also underrepresented composers, composers of color, it makes the students better musicians,” he said.

Bigler also noted the importance of a musical foundation. “It’s important to learn about the great masterworks of the past,” he said. “I see it as similar to developing high level skills in any language, cuisine, or painting. To really become proficient, it takes intense study in specific areas to develop expertise. Mozart’s Requiem is a very important pillar of Western music. It has influenced how harmonic language and ensembles have evolved. In a university setting, we have the opportunity to study and explore this history, which helps us better understand what makes up this powerful language of music. There is a clear trajectory from this composition by Mozart to modern movie soundtracks, video game soundtracks, and even Beyonce albums. They are all connected, incorporating influences from Mozart and, increasingly, from many of the worlds’ diverse cultures.” 

Art itself is frequently rooted in our ability and desire to connect through love, joy, and grief. Mozart’s Requiem was commissioned by a man whose young wife had died, while "Dark Night of the Soul" is drawn from a poem about a man awakened by feelings of love and deep longing. “Both of these pieces focus on ancient concepts and ideas in the human experience,” Bigler said. “How do we deal with love and loss in a religious context, in a relational context? Often, importantly, we gather together in these moments of trial and sorrow, in our communities, to support and help each other through the difficult times and to celebrate the joyful moments.”

Tickets, parking, and other details

The performance will be Sunday, March 30, at 4 p.m. in the Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre, Moss Arts Center, 190 Alumni Mall.

Tickets are $25 for adults, $10 for students, and may be purchased through the Moss Arts Center ticket office.

All university community members and visitors will need to display a parking permit, use the ParkMobile app, pay a fee, or pay using an hourly meter to park on the Blacksburg campus unless otherwise noted by signage. Find additional parking information online.

If you are an individual with a disability and/or desire an accommodation, please contact Susan Sanders at susansan@vt.edu at least 10 days prior to the event.

Written by Katie Beazley, a graduate student in applied theatre and public dialogue in the School of Performing Arts