The sun beat down through the stained-glass windows, and the audience comprised mostly senior citizens, but the church was alive with the sound of music.
The Congressional Chorus, a group made up of former House and Senate staffers, along with several guest performers, presented "An Evening of Broadway" Sunday, a benefit for the Whitman-Walker Clinic. The concert was held at the Catholic Church of the Annunciation as the final part of its Catherine and Mary Roth Concert Series. The chorus was directed by Michael Patterson, who started the group in 1987. The featured performers included Harlie Sponaugle, soprano; Mary Ann Sluga, contralto; Eleasha Gamble, mezzo-soprano; and Brian Quenton Thorne, tenor.
The concert's mood was uplifting and light-hearted. People were gathered for an afternoon of familiar melodies, familiar faces and a good cause. A Rodgers and Hammerstein medley opened the concert, with the chorus harmonizing on many familiar tunes from classic shows like "Oklahoma" and "The Sound of Music." Decked out in casual but colorful attire, the members of the chorus were clearly enjoying the event and expressing themselves freely.
Piano accompaniment by Patterson and Francis Conlon fit well, and on many songs the pianists created a sound that managed to capture the fullness of the orchestrations without overpowering the singers.
Throughout the evening, the audience was informed about the Whitman-Walker Clinic, the largest provider of HIV/AIDS services for the gay and lesbian community in the Washington metropolitan area. The clinic provides HIV/AIDS testing, prevention education, counseling, outpatient medical care and legal aid. The suggested donation was $10, but many gave more.
After the first medley, the chorus members took their seats as the soloists performed several selections from composers including Leonard Bernstein and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Gamble gave beautiful and moving renditions of both "Daddy's Son" from "Ragtime" and "Easy as Life" from "Aida." Sponagle's gorgeous round soprano tone shone during her performance of "Think of Me" from "Phantom of the Opera." While Thorne's early songs were relatively forgettable, his performance got progressively better as he began to sing songs that were better for his style. When he led the chorus in a rousing version of "It Ain't Necessarily So" from the Gershwin opera "Porgy and Bess," he really hit his stride. A medley of songs from this musical closed the first act.
The second act began with an interesting arrangement of Gershwin tunes, mostly from Depression-era movie musicals. The audience was familiar with most of the songs, and the chorus was again having a great time. In this act the soloists showed off their best stuff, with Thorne shining during his convincing interpretations of "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" from "Americana" and "Bring Him Home" from "Les Miserables."
Gamble also had a strong second act, putting a new spin on the classic "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man" from "Showboat" and also powerfully executing "Defying Gravity" from the current Stephen Schwartz hit musical "Wicked." The program closed with a lovely set of Frank Loesser pieces, which were most familiar to the audience members, many of whom began to sing along during "Heart and Soul" and "New Asmolean Marching Society."
Overall, the evening was very enjoyable. Though the concert was a little long, the program covered a wide range of Broadway tunes, with many of them familiar to musical lovers of all ages. Events like this promote worthy charitable causes as well as entertainment and the arts. Be sure to keep a look out for upcoming events featuring the Congressional Chorus or benefiting the Whitman-Walker Clinic.
