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From the stage of Saturday Night Live to Syracuse University’s Hendricks Chapel, the Jason Max Ferdinand Singers bring what Asriel Davis calls an “electrifying” performance. As a member of the group and a SU graduate student, Davis had a quick commute to the group’s last show.

“One of our main messages that we’re trying to send is bringing people together through the medium of music,” Davis said.

Jason Max Ferdinand leads the professional choral group who recently performed with Coldplay on SNL and headlined the American Choral Directors Association National Conference (ACDA). They most recently did a concert as part of Hendricks Chapel’s Music and Message series, which brings in new musicians with diverse religious backgrounds each week.

SU’s Director of Choral Activities, John Warren, described the Jason Max Ferdinand Singers as the “hottest choral group in the nation.” On Sunday, the Jason Max Ferdinand Singers performed a concert alone at Hendricks Chapel. On Tuesday, Ferdinand returned without his group to conduct the SU choirs at the Choral Collage.

In addition to the two performances, Ferdinand worked with each of SU’s choirs ahead of time and offered his expertise. Warren said that he was very receptive to questions and generous with his time and knowledge.

“Having Dr. Ferdinand with us and him coming and working with my choirs,” Warren said. “That’s just been marvelous.”

A local youth group performed alongside SU’s choirs at Tuesday’s concert. Formerly known as the Syracuse Children’s Chorus, Warren said Tuesday was its “triumphant return” after the COVID-19 pandemic with a new name — the Syracuse Youth Chorus.

Tuesday’s concert was “spellbinding,” said audience member and Oratorio Society performer Stephanie Lead. Between the return of the youth choir and the effect Ferdinand had on the last performance, the concert was a powerful moment for Lead.

“I was riveted from the first second,” Lead said. “(Ferdinand) came to (the Oratorio Society) rehearsal last night with these little nuanced, quiet kinds of things. It was very empowering.”

Davis is a graduate student at SU studying organ performance and has been a part of the Jason Max Ferdinand Singers since the group started in 2021. The director of the group got involved because he worked with Davis at Oakwood University.

Davis added that the key thing that sets this group apart is variety, both in the genres of music it performs and in its membership, which includes graduate students, police officers and health administrators. He described it as a talented group of singers and musicians.

On Monday night, Jason Max Ferdinand and his choir, the Jason Max Ferdinand Singers, took the stage at Hendricks Chapel as part of their Music and Message series. Maxine Brackbill | Asst. Photo Editor

The message of the group is centered around community health and belonging, Davis said. The members focus on bringing people together and travel to high schools, colleges and other similar institutions, showing how music can be a catalyst for emotion in a community, he said.

Davis said one of his favorite performances of all time was last week at the conference, where he sang a song with an orchestration by their accompanist John Stoddart alongside Grammy-award-winning artist Cedric Ban, an original member of the band Take 6. Davis said it was a beautiful memory.

Davis said the group tried to bring that same kind of energy and message to SU at Hendricks Chapel. At SU, the group’s under less pressure than they were at the conference, so it’s ready to put on a powerful show.

Morgan Beaton, SU master’s student and conductor of SU’s choirs, said that the performance at the ACDA was incredibly inspiring and life changing. She loved the group’s performance so much that she skipped other performers at the conference to watch it multiple times.

At the conference, the ensemble performed selections from the Baroque period, the classical period, Beethoven, Schoenberg, jazz and spiritual music. Beaton said she was impressed the group could sing so many different types of music at a consistently high level of excellence.

“Their musicianship was astounding,” Beaton said. “They can do the softest of soft and the loudest of louds in any space.”

Beaton said the goal of the concert on Tuesday was to showcase the hard work of the ensembles, but also to display Ferdinand and his excellent musicians who are making a huge difference in the field.

“Dr. Ferdinand has done everything,” Beaton said. “He’s written books, he has a pro choir, he has taught at several universities, he’s a musician himself, he’s a composer — the man has just done everything you can imagine at an excellent level.”

Davis added how surreal it’s been to be part of such a high profile group. The group is talented, he said, and it’s powerful to work together and perform with its other members. He said that no matter what level they’re at, it’s really just about their love for the music.

Although the group has received many impressive accolades, they still focus on their skills as musicians. Working together and learning together with other people who have different backgrounds but a shared love of singing is why the group does what they do, Davis said.

“The love for the music is the constant theme that keeps everything going, no matter what setting we’re in,” Davis said.

Published on March 7, 2023 at 11:54 pm