By Brooke Curley
brooke@gilavalleycentral.net
THATCHER – All you need is love, and undoubtedly it was love that moved the audience so deeply at this year’s Spring Sing.
The 38th annual Spring Sing at Eastern Arizona College (EAC) was directed by Bruce Bishop, Chase Moore, Patty Raines, and choreographed by Steven Higgenbotham. The performance featured musical numbers by the EACompany, Women’s Chorale, Combined Choirs, A Cappella Choir, Men’s Chorus, Fourté and GuyZ. Performed songs included You Could Drive a Person Crazy, by Company, and Blogogodop, which was sung in Haitian. Lasting just more than 90 minutes, this year’s Spring Sing carried a musical punch of emotion.
Every Spring Sing is different, but Bishop told Gila Valley Central that the journey created to support the theme of “love” was successful. Bishop also said the performance itself intensifies the focus on text and music.
“The flow and journey which we constructed to buttress the theme ‘love’ was especially effective with this year’s Spring Sing,” Bishop said. “I love the experiences that we have on stage with the music. Performance intensifies the focus and allows us to plunge into the text and music and experience it as if it is our own creation, which is a unique aspect of music. The performer becomes a collaborator with the composer. It is exciting to watch the EAC singers grow in their talents and musical skills. Our students are known for their artistry and expressiveness.”
Christian Clement, an EAC student and singer in the Men’s Chorus, told Gila Valley Central that Bishop helped the singers form an emotional attachment to each song, giving it a powerful punch.
“During rehearsal, the director would tell us what this song meant to him and would then tell us to find our own purpose in a song,” Clement said. “Dr. Bishop and Mr Moore did a fabulous job with all the groups, and the music was great to listen to. I personally enjoyed both performing and watching each group as they sang the songs they have prepared for all semester.”
Coinciding with the theme of the night, after the last song was sung at Friday’s performance and the audience was about to leave, their attention returned when romance sparked the stage. Adam Murdock, a bass singer in the Men’s Chorus, stood illuminated by the bright lights of the stage. With a calm voice, Murdock asked for a Whitney Richins to join him.
With all of the crowd watching in suspense, Murdock knelt down on one knee and proposed.
“You are the love of my life,” Murdock said.
Although the rest of his proposal was somewhat inaudible to the audience, by Richins’ reaction of throwing her arms around Murdock, her answer was a clear “yes.”
With a twinkle in his eye, Bishop looked out over the stage.
“Well, another one bites the dust,” he said.
The audience applauded even louder than before, bringing an end to a beautiful and emotion-filled night.
Photos contributed by Todd Haynie
