Nearly 100 voices from three community music organizations combined to perform a concert in honor of the season, titled ''The Last Words Remembered.''
The concert was sponsored by the Community Music Project, and was presented at Zion Covenant Church, in Jamestown. The first half of the concert was made up of short, joyous works, ranging from Baroque to Broadway, and was sung by the Jamestown Choral Society. The second half of the program was the somber and emotional ''The Seven Last Words of Christ,'' by Theodore Dubois, and was sung by the Choral Society, joined by the Jamestown Community College Choir and the Zion Covenant Chancel Choir.
Brian A. Bogey conducted all three organizations, and accompanied them on either organ or piano.
The lighter half of the program was a curious fit with the heavier conclusion, although it was certainly most enjoyable. The Choral Society numbered just shy of 30, and the performance found them enthusiastic and energetic, if a bit ragged in attacks and on some of the more difficult harmonies.
The section of the concert began with a work by George F. Handel, followed by two works in the style of spirituals. One wonders if they were composed by the names which followed their title, or if they were traditional works who were arranged by the men in question.
From there, the program rambled to the theme from the recent Hollywood film ''Ice Castles'' by Carole Bayer Sager and Marvin Hamlisch, the Calypso-style song about Jamaican market places by Larry Farrow, a piece from the score of the Broadway hit ''Pippin'' by Stephen Schwartz, and a medley from five different Broadway shows.
Since the entire evening lasted only about 70 minutes, one wonders whether they might have taken the time for an actual intermission to allow the audience to clear their heads of ''Hello Dolly'' and ''Tomorrow'' from ''Annie,'' and to prepare for the tragic story of the crucifixion of Christ.
The Dubois work was 19th-century French music at its most dramatic. The majority of the singing was done by three very fine soloists: Soprano Kathleen Healey, Tenor James Beal, and Baritone Adam Rohler. The printed program gave the words in two, parallel columns, the left one in Latin, and the right one in English, which made it something of a surprise when they sang the entire thing in English, until the very last four lines, which follow "It is finished." They were done in Latin.
Great praise is owed to the organ accompaniment, which balanced and supported the singing, and which utilized the many voices of the large organ, often giving the impression that a harp or a trumpet had joined in the accompaniment. I found myself craning my neck to make certain that they hadn't done so.
I enjoyed the concert, and clearly the virtually full congregation did so as well, as they were still applauding when I had to run to beat deadline.
The next concert from the Community Music Project will be ''Melodies & Memories,'' which will be performed by the Chautauqua Chamber Singers on May 4, at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, in Jamestown.