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COURTESY OF PSU CHOIR

Sing-song: PSU choir members belt out some dulcet tones. Four choral ensembles will perform this weekend at First United Methodist Church.

This weekend, four of Portland State’s choral ensembles—Vox Femina, PSU Man Choir, University Choir and Chamber Choir—will bring their voices to the “Clash of the Titans.”

This concert mixes classical and modern-day music in a celebration of the breadth of vocal ability: The title refers to the pairing of two seemingly opposite branches of music.

“There are going to be some jarring transitions back and forth between classical and pop music,” said Ethan Sperry, head of Portland State’s choral program and one of three conductors for the event. (Chris Edwards and Erik Lichte are also conducting.) “We give examples from basically every time period and composer.”

The concert is sure to entertain and amuse: Pieces are arranged in a manner that will bring laughs and evoke emotion.

“The first piece will be one by a German composer named Hans Leo Hassler called ‘Cantate Domino,’ which is basically a prayer, and then we follow it up with ‘Like a Prayer’ by Madonna,” Sperry said. “We even sing the monkey song from The Jungle Book.”

Every year, the PSU Choral Department chooses a theme for their choir concerts. Although “Clash of the Titans” was not chosen as the theme for 2012, Sperry decided it was worth elaborating on.

“I really liked the concept and believed it could make a great concert,” Sperry said. “We’re transcending boundaries in music. The voice is the most versatile instrument there is. No matter how many instruments we create there’s nothing that has the capability that the voice has.”

Not only will the genres of the music change with each piece, but the choirs that sing them will rotate as well. Each of the four choirs will get equal time with their pieces,
ultimately inspiring a wide variety of reactions in the audience.

“Obviously, since I’m helping conducting the concert, I like all the pieces of music, but if I had to pick one to highlight it would be a piece by Eric Whitacre called ‘A Boy and A Girl,’” Sperry said.

Following the theme of the concert, Whitacre is not only a Grammy-winning composer but a poet who combines his art forms to create a new genre of music.

“‘A Boy and A Girl’ is about lovers that are so consumed with one another that their love survives it all,” Sperry said. “We recently played it in high schools, and there were students literally crying. It really grabs you.”

To add to the ambience, the concert will be presented in the old First United Methodist Church on Southwest Jefferson Street. The juxtaposition of gothic architecture and songs by Stevie Wonder and Fun will help set the mood for a promising night.

“We live in a world that loves to classify things,” Sperry said. “There’s an urge when you hear a piece of music to instantly put it into one of many categories, but we hope to break down more barriers rather than create them.”