The choir was festively dressed, with girls in red dresses and guys in coats and bow ties, resulting in an altogether professional appeal that resembles the grandeur of the hall. After the hall quieted, the singers opened their books and began their first piece: “Break Forth, O Beauteous Heavenly Light” by Bach, edited by Alice Parker and conducted by John Ryan. I must agree that placing the choir above the stage was a brilliant idea; not only was the whole group more visible, but they sounded better! However, it might not have been a bad idea to somehow have the soloists receive extra attention by stepping forward, as is the conventional format at concerts. I felt that, while identifying the only singing member in the sea of red and black was not a tall order, it was made more difficult than necessary due to the placement of the choir. Also, since there were no stands, the group had to hold their sheet music in their hands, causing a collective tilt of heads. Regardless, the group put on a spectacular performance as they continued with “Hallelujah” from Handel’s Messiah and a piece from Pergolesi. The soloists were Michelle Santospirito ’10, Cecilia Kopp ’10, Adam Steinberger ’09, and John Maderazo ’10.