Double Grammy-award-winning vocal group The King's Singers
perform in Kresge Auditorim on Friday night.
The event was put on by DePauw's school of music as part of
the Green Guest Artist Concert series.
SAM CARAVANA/THE DEPAUW
They strutted out onto the dark stage in matching blue suits, crimson ties and leather loafers. The audience was entranced as the soft, well-coordinated accapella renditions of “I’ve Got the World on a String,” “Beyond the Sea” and “My Funny Valentine” floated through the air.
Kresge auditorium was bursting on Friday night as hundreds poured in to listen to the smooth, regal sounds of The King’s Singers. The King’s Singers have been an institution for over 50 years. They have produced 150 albums, perform over 120 concerts a year and tour in Europe, North America, Asia and Australia. They have won two Grammys, one in 2009 for their Signum Classics album release, Simple Gifts, and in 2012 for their contribution to Eric Whitacre’s Light and Gold album.
The six current members include David Hurley (countertenor), Timothy Wayne-Wright (countertenor), Julian Gregory (tenor), Christopher Bruerton (baritone), Christopher Gabbitas (baritone) and Jonathan Howard (bass). They have been touring the United States over the past several weeks promoting their new album, The Great American Songbook, which sells on iTunes for $9.99.
The Great American Songbook is a compilation of ten American classics from the beginning and middle of the 20th century, specifically 1910-1960. The album includes such greats as Arthur Hamilton’s “Cry Me A River,” Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart’s “The Lady Is a Tramp” and Victor Young and Edward Heyman’s “When I Fall in Love.” All of these classics were performed on Friday night.
“It was awesome!” said first-year, Brittany Buckner, whose favorite song was “Beyond The Sea.”
The King’s Singers were fun and engaging, and a joy to listen to and watch. The lights around the stage would change color depending on the mood of the song and some songs were accompanied by light choreography. After singing four or five songs, one of them would come forward and explain their significance and what melodies to expect next. Some songs were made humorous, with light acting and joking around among the singers.
Some of this came in during their final song, “The Lady Is a Tramp,” where they changed some of the lines slightly to add a little bit of humor to end the show: “She follows Stephen Fry and retweets ev’ry line, that’s why the lady is a tramp!”
They were meet by such roaring applause at the end of their two-hour show that they gave an encore following a standing ovation.
“I liked them a lot,” said junior music major Marian Hillebrand. “They were really talented, obviously, and I liked that they did jazz standards and stuff like that.”
After the concert The King’s Singers met with fans in the lobby of the GCPA, selling merchandise, signing autographs and posing for pictures. Earlier in the day they met with school of music students and sat in on classes. Sunday, following their Friday concert, they were guests on WGRE.
“We sang our songs for them [and] they gave us good praise too, calling us one the best college choirs they’ve ever worked with,” said first-year Jackson Bailey. “They really focused on the quality of our sound and how well we blend[ed] with each other.”
For anyone who is more interested in The King’s Singers and their work, they conduct a yearly summer school; a five day residential course where groups work with each member of The King’s Singers individually to help improve and develop one’s singing abilities.
Their next concert is on Feb. 23 at the Yost Center at Hesston College in Hesston, KS.