The Grammy-winning sextet, The King’s Singers, brought a sold-out crowd to its feet at Calvin’s Covenant Fine Arts Center with solemn melodies as well as bouncing love songs on Wednesday night.
The ensemble showcased their precise vocals by singing a variety of Latin, German and French interpretations of the Lord’s Prayer before exhibiting their humorous side by playfully serenading the crowd and even demonstrating their skill with a kazoo.
The concert featured sincere emotion from the group — particularly the final line of a Henry Purcell piece that closed with “Spare us, good Lord.” Again, the vocals were nearly flawless and the timing was immaculate.
Sophomore Erica Dekker was thoroughly impressed, saying that the ensemble had some of the best intonation she had ever heard. The blending of the ensemble’s voices was another highlight for Dekker.
“You could zone in on one person and listen to them, or listen them all together,” she said.
Another concertgoer, sophomore Dena Van Wingerden, had similar praises.
“They seem very in tune with each other,” she said.
The performance that began with such solemn emotion morphed into a lively and animated one after the intermission as the group put away their music stands and performed some of their more upbeat repertoire.
Love songs directed to the fictional Irish beauty, Rosie McCann, brought out the smiles, and a rendition of Queen’s “Seaside Rendezvous” featuring the singers playing toy kazoos had the audience laughing.
The King’s Singers even performed an encore after the attendees seemingly refused to stall their applause.
One of those attendees was Art Schaafsma ’64, an avid fan of the King’s Singers ever since he was put on to the group by his brother-in-law. Schaafsma bought all the CDs he could find and saw the ensemble live for the first time 15 years ago.
“Seeming them live the first time, and now here… it was amazing,” he said.
The King’s Singers visited Calvin College during their busy international touring schedule courtesy of Calvin’s Artist Series.
