Beethoven concert allows time to reflect

Those who were not already standing leapt to their feet in an immediate ovation following a performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony Sunday night. \nThe Oratorio Choir and Philharmonic Orchestra dedicated their concert to the five IU Jacobs School of Music graduate students who died Thursday night in a plane crash in Monroe County. Young and old gathered in the aisles, filling the Musical Arts Center beyond its seating capacity.\nThe foyer before the show had a somber atmosphere. People milled around, talking to friends and signing the five guest books for the families of each student. The lines to get into the theater were long and led outside the doors of the MAC. \nMusic School Dean Gwyn Richards addressed the crowd with poise, valiantly attempting to hold back his emotions. \n"Thank you for gathering on a night when we wish to not be alone," he said. "We can not imagine the incalculable loss to the family, but we can help share the load."\nHe explained that the students of the Jacobs School of Music perform because it is what they do in times of trial. Several students who had not originally intended to sing in the choir decided to join for the performance because they wanted to be part of the remembrance.\n"May our spirits, so low, be raised in the knowledge that Chris, Garth, Georgina, Zachary and Robert have slipped the surly bonds of earth to touch the face of God," Richards said.\nHe then called for a moment of silence.\nFive empty, black chairs with white roses on the seats were placed in the center of the stage in honor of Chris Carducci, Garth Eppley, Georgina Joshi, Zachary Novak and Robert Samels. \n"I was moved by the five empty seats," freshman Marisa Tishner said. "It was very poignant." \nMany of the performers, who wore red ribbons on their dresses and tuxedos, were affected because they lost their friends and classmates. Senior Abigail Mitchell, a member of the University Singers, said the reason for the concert made the night difficult. \n"It was really hard to get through (the concert)," she said. "I knew all five of them and I am glad that it is over."\nFreshman Neerja Prasad, who attended the concert, said she was impressed by the performers' presence, given the circumstances.\n"I am surprised that they managed to keep their composure, considering their loss," she said.\nBeethoven's Ninth -- which includes the famous movement "Ode to Joy" -- seemed to lift the spirits of those in attendance. Before the show, audience members spoke to each other in hushed tones. Many mourners consoled family members and friends. But afterward, the audience reacted to the performance with a five-minute standing ovation. Shaking the hands of the conductor and performers, listeners were eager to discuss the concert.\n"I have difficulty putting it into words," Bethany Barber, a graduate student performer, said. "This was the most appropriate possible thing we could have done tonight. It was a message of love and peace and joy and brotherhood"