Saturday night, at First Christian Church-Disciples Of Christ, Western’s music department presented their Spring Choral Concert to a congregation dressed in its Sunday best.

Members of the WKU Chamber Singers, Women’s Chorus and University Choir, also adorned in church attire, serenaded their audience in high and low pitch.

R. Wayne Pope and Mark D. Jennings presided over the congregation Saturday – not to preach, but to direct.

There were three sections to the concert. Pope directed the WKU Women’s Chorus during the first part of the concert.

“I thought everybody sang well,” he said. “It all went smooth.”

Jennings directed the WKU Chamber Singers and the University Choir for the duration of the program.

“It went really well,” he said after the concert. “I’m always happy when people put their hearts into the music, and I feel that’s what we did.”

Western’s music department started preparing for the concert in January, practicing several days a week for an hour.

Hopkinsville senior Kristin Jones, a soprano, sang a brief solo for the last song of the night.

“We rehearsed for three days a week for the semester,” she said. “We prepared very well in class and got it to performance standard there.”

The last song on the program, sung by the University Choir, was a spiritual by Moses Hogan entitled “Ride On, King Jesus.”

Hogan, described by Jennings as one of the best contemporary arrangers of African American spirituals, recently died from a brain tumor. His song was chosen for the program to remember his talent and work in the world of music.

“He had talent oozing out of him,” Jennings said. “He infused traditional spirituals with new energy.

“For Bowling Green members to hear that … I’m happy we were able to share the piece.”

Reach Zach Mills at [email protected].