The reason I attended the concert was to support some of my colleagues who had invited me to see the concert, and I was not disappointed. Sir Edward Elgar's play The Dance was a delightful piece. The piece began with the piano playing a quaint skipping line that is immediately taken up by the women in the ensemble. When the women's voices come in, the feeling of this "dance" comes to life as the rhythm is clearly established as a simple single, and this is due to the fact that their melody lines are very rhythmic and hardly stay still as would a real person during a dance. Then the masculine timbre comes into play when the repetition of the opening theme occurs and at this point harmonies are present but the overall texture is monophonic. Then there is a modulation to another tonal center that is emphasized by the polyphony that begins to occur, with the male voices singing a sort of dance like note, while the female voices sing sustained notes on top, and the voices come together on the same melody to lead to the climax of this section. In the middle of the piece, we find a softer, calmer melody, still monophonic with the play of harmonies which clearly shines through with the distinction in the colors of the low and high voices. Towards the end of the piece, the playful theme between men and women is continued, giving the impression of a young couple flirting or joking as they gyrate in a ballroom. Throughout the song, the piano accompanied the concert choir, providing rhythms and harmonies similar to a waltz: light syncopation, delicate but firm, and also helped prepare listeners for changes in modulation. The second track I enjoyed was Morten La... ... middle of paper ...... background information which added a greater level of depth to what they were singing. Some of the information, at least for me, clarified much of what I had heard and made the concert more enjoyable than sitting there trying to understand deeper meanings. The jazz ensemble was also enjoyable and provided some variety in the program other than strictly classical sounds or pieces, especially when some of the improvisational pieces and jazzy chords were sung. Most of the pieces were contemporary or modern in style, such as some pieces by Lauridsen and Britten, but overall it was a good mix of traditional Navajo, bringing some lovely lilting and meditative elements to Elgar's piece, bringing aspects of dance and party atmosphere. . At the end of the concert, my friend and I smiled at each other with joy and satisfaction..