When one makes a recording in a studio, the singers are miked and a soundboard is used to control volume, resonance, reverberation, depth of tone and even pitch. In essence, the soundboard (and the person operating it) “create” ensemble blend and tone. It was my desire to capture Harmony’s timbre, blend, etc., in the most authentic way possible. And as a choral specialist, it is for me a matter of integrity.
So, locating a professional who specialized in acoustical recordings was essential. The choral director at Centre College recommended Dave Henderson from Lexington, who is an expert in this field. I spoke with him numerous times and was pleased with his professionalism and willingness to come to Barbourville to record just one song for us.
The recording session this past Tuesday couldn’t have gone better. Dave set up one (very expensive) microphone in the chapel to capture the “harmony” of Union Harmony! The song I chose for the ensemble to sing is the hauntingly beautiful “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming.” All the singers were “troopers” as they sang the hymn numerous times as I listened to the playback and then made adjustments and suggestions to the choir for the next take. I couldn’t be more proud of their effort, especially in light of the fact that more than half of the membership of Harmony is new this year! New to the ensemble this year are Alexandra Estes, Corey Powell, Marisa Sammons, Autumn Warren and Maggie Watkins. Veteran members include Michael Poff, Eddie Smith, Courtney Sprinkles, and Sonny Whitson. I would be remiss not to mention our outstanding accompanist, Kathy Smith, who is an integral part of our choral program and was invaluable to this process.
I don’t want to be a spoiler by sharing a clip of our recording before it comes out on the Christmas card; but once the card comes out, I will share either a link to the card or a link to the recording.
I want to thank the Office of Communications for the time and effort they have put (and are still putting) into this project. A big thanks also goes to the President’s Office for the invitation to participate.
Blessings…