Each year, the UNC Combined Chorus has capped off the academic year with an April performance with the Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra (GPO), and for many years they鈥檝e done so under the direction of Galen Darrough, D.M.A., UNC鈥檚 emeritus director of Choral Studies.   

During his time at UNC, Darrough worked with thousands of students as he conducted the Men鈥檚 Glee Club for 30 years, the Women鈥檚 Glee Club for 15 years and also conducted the UNC Concert Choir.    

The April 2020 concert was to have been Darrough鈥檚 last time conducting the Combined Chorus at the GPO, after his retirement from UNC in January 2020.  

But when COVID-19 quieted the stage at the Union Colony Civic Center in March of 2020, the plans for the April Combined Chorus were cancelled.

鈥淚 thought, well, I鈥檓 kind of slipping out the back door of retirement,鈥� Darrough recalls.    

But that door wasn鈥檛 ready to close just yet.    

Nick Kenny 鈥�16, chief executive officer of the Greeley Philharmonic, said that as he and his team were planning for the 2021 season, they wanted to hold true to presenting the UNC Combined Chorus, and they wanted to bring Darrough back in recognition of his work. They moved the concert to Nov. 13, 2021, to do so.   

鈥淰ery rarely do any music students get to perform with a professional orchestra. For UNC students to get to do it almost on an annual basis, is just really special,鈥� Kenny says. 鈥淲e had wanted to recognize Galen鈥檚 three decades of service and partnerships with GPO, but then the pandemic hit, so we had to kind of restructure this concert.鈥�   

They began by changing the pieces the choir and orchestra would perform. Originally, the April 2020 concert was to have performed Ralph Vaughn Williams鈥� Dona Nobis Pacem.   

Kenny and his team turned instead to the Brahms Requiem. Requiems are generally a funeral mass for the dead, but the Brahms Requiem is different. 鈥淭his German requiem is more focused on those who are bearing the suffering,鈥� Kenny says. 鈥淲e thought that鈥檚 a very powerful message for what we鈥檙e going through with the pandemic, and that it would be appropriate to perform that requiem.鈥�   

They approached Darrough with the suggestion, and he agreed.    

鈥淭he theme of redemption, of comfort for the living for those who have departed, for those who are left behind, is really the general theme of the Brahms Requiem. It makes it such a beautiful, uplifting (piece). It鈥檚 just a life-changing piece,鈥� he said. As he spoke with Kenny, Darrough asked if he could conduct the orchestra for some of the Hungarian dances.    

鈥淭o my delight, they consented,鈥� he says. He would conduct the entire concert.   

With the program settled, Darrough knew that because of the pandemic they wouldn鈥檛 have the 150 to 160 students on stage as they have in the past.    

鈥淲e usually put up enough numbers to pull off a major work, but owing to COVID, there were only about 95 students,鈥� Darrough says. 鈥淪o, I asked my colleague, Dr. Jill Burgett, 鈥楬ow about if we throw it open to alums?鈥欌��   

Burgett liked the idea and Darrough put the dates on Facebook. 鈥淚 would say in two days, we had a choir,鈥� he says.   

In the end, 85 alumni from across the country returned to Greeley to perform with Darrough.    

Among them, Michael Stadler 鈥�98, 鈥�03 of Evans, and S.J. Hasman, of Los Angeles, who both met Darrough as students in 1992. 聽

鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 even a question of whether or not to go, we were invited,鈥� says Hasman. 鈥淒r. Darrough, Brahms鈥︹�痭ot a hard sell!鈥�   

Hasman had performed the Brahm鈥檚 Requiem with Darrough while she was a student at UNC. 鈥淚 remember feeling so moved during that performance that I teared up several times. Afterwards Dr. Darrough saw me and my wet eyes and gave me a big hug. I鈥痑lways鈥痑ppreciated that he recognized how moved I was and that it meant something to me. It鈥檚 just one of those memories I cherish, so you can imagine how I felt when he announced that I could come sing the same piece under his baton.鈥� 

Stadler, who is a vehicle fleet manager at UNC, has been a member of UNC ensembles since 1992 and also sings with the Greeley Chorale. 鈥淗ow could I鈥痭ot鈥痺ant to sing once more with the man I鈥檝e followed for nearly 30 years,鈥� he asked.    

The word 鈥渂eloved鈥� often comes up when alumni speak about Darrough. When asked why students and alumni felt such affection for him, Stadler said, 鈥淚t has everything to do with having a good heart and a passion for sharing, delivered with such kindness and gentleness. He鈥檚 just the kind of person who everyone wants to be around. I guess we can actually thank COVID for granting the opportunity to end with an even bigger bang than we otherwise would have. To bring so many former students 鈥榖ack home鈥� just made it that much more wondrous,鈥� said Stadler.   

Everyone on stage, including orchestral members who weren鈥檛 playing a wind instrument, had to be masked.    

鈥淚t muffles it about 15%,鈥� says Darrough. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not optimal and the singers have to over-articulate the text, but people love to sing and they鈥檙e not going to let something like COVID stop them.鈥�   

The performance itself鈥嗏�斺�唂or Darrough and for those who performed鈥嗏�斺�唚as emotional and challenging.    

鈥淭he vocal demands on the students, particularly in two of the larger movements, are extreme,鈥� Darrough said. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 one of the most taxing pieces. The choir never sits down, there鈥檚 no need to put platforms or chairs in there.鈥�   

Hasman agreed. 鈥淢y feet and knees and arms did not remember how it was to stand on that hot stage holding up the music for so long. It was so grueling!鈥�   

The performance鈥檚 emotional impact was felt on both sides of the baton.   

鈥淭here was just a tremendous outpouring of love,鈥� says Darrough. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a great poem by Robert Frost called  鈥楩ire and Ice,鈥欌�� says Darrough. 鈥淚 talk (to my students) about how your heart has to be on fire, but your mind has to be on ice in a situation like that. That鈥檚 the way that I had to do it, because there were a couple of times where I became really quite emotionally touched and I had to back off a little bit for the sake of clarity and technique and wanting to be a good conductor. It was really a combination of an emotional and an artistic high point in my life.鈥�