Southeastern’s Women’s Chorale and Concert Choir captivated the audience with the first note of the night by Theresa Carolla, who opened with a loud witch cackle for “Witches Chorus” from Macbeth.  The concert took place at First United Methodist Church, due to the welcoming atmosphere and great sound the church offers, on Oct. 17 and was held by the Department of Fine and Performing Arts.
Friends, families and music lovers packed the church, taking in the dramatic music performed in French, Italian and English.
“We’ll go through and learn the context,” said Carolla, vocal music eduction junior, about singing in a foreign language.  “We had a translation, but it wasn’t word for word.  As music majors, though, we take diction classes that help us learn how to pronounce words. Honestly, I like singing in other languages better because it’s just easier.”
Aside from singing multiple songs in French and Italian, the performers took on personas of the characters in each piece, offering a visual as well as vocal show. The singers wore witch hats for “Witches Chorus” and had various other props for each story told. The emotions on the performer’s faces, though, allowed the audience to understand what the song was saying, even if it was not in English.
“It was very intense. The emotions were clearly seen through the characters that the singers portrayed. I could feel the emotion,” said Jennifer Fontenot, an attendee from Mandeville.
“We learn the meanings so we can take on the character better,” said Laura Wellen, junior communication major in Women’s Chorale. “Dr. Rowe would tell us a story about the characters and how we should act, and once she told us that it was easy to pretend you’re that person.”
A large variety of songs were chosen based on style and meaning. The night included pieces such as “Chorus of Peasant Girls” from Eugene Onegin, “Habanera” from Carmen, “Revival Scene” from Susannah and many more.  
“I tried to pick things that were contrasting, but also interesting for the audience and challenging for the singers,” said Alissa Mercurio Rowe, conductor.
Two songs were conducted by students Heidi Matherne and Mary Peacock.
“I loved every piece that we sang because I love music, and it’s fun to see the contrast between all of them and get to change characters and feel the different dynamics in each piece,” said Wellen.
Like Wellen, Carolla loved every song, but was particularly fond of “Witches Chorus.”
“I loved ‘Witches Chorus,’  not even because of the witch’s cackle that I did. It was really fun to do, but it was just the energy and acting it out that was just awesome,” said Carolla.
The chorale and choir closed on a happy note with “Stomp Your Foot!” from The Tender Land, leaving the audience to greet one another and the performers.