On Tuesday, March 4, in a fusion of music, history and emotion, the Jenny Lind Vocal Ensemble and four local high school treble choirs took to the stage of Centennial Hall to perform “Anne Frank: A Living Voice.” This piece captured the resilience and hope of a young girl whose words have transcended time. With 100 voices, the performance was not just a musical event but a collective journey of reflection and shared humanity, reminding the audience of the profound and enduring legacy of Anne Frank.
Linda Tutas Haugen, the composer of “Anne Frank: A Living Voice,” met with the choir to share the meaning behind the piece. Jenny Lind was the second ensemble to perform the 21-year-old piece, the first being in 2012 when the choir was selected by audition to perform at the Illinois American Choral Directors Association’s Fall Conference.
Michael Zemek, professor of music education and conductor of the Jenny Lind Vocal Ensemble, shared that Haugen immersed herself in extensive research and conversations with the Anne Frank Foundation in Switzerland during the compositional process of the song. Haugen also spoke with some of Anne Frank’s close relatives, including one of her cousins and Hanneli, a close friend Anne Frank mentioned in her diary.
“Throughout the rehearsal process, the singers in Jenny Lind identified musical elements that sought to elevate and explain the text, such as dissonant harmonies and expressive dynamics,” Zemek said. “As we rehearsed, we also discussed how to interpret and give meaning to our performances.”
Haugen looked at four English translations of the book and chose various diary entries that captured unique aspects of Anne Frank’s life during her time hiding from the Nazis. Haugen then chose seven excerpts and arranged them chronologically to reflect, as Professor Zemek described, the “unimaginable emotional challenges faced by Anne Frank as she steadfastly maintained hope and belief in the goodness of others.”
According to junior Madeline Hutchinson, a member of the Jenny Lind Vocal Ensemble, a quartet of instruments, two violins, a viola and a cello, added a profound layer of emotion to the piece that brought her, many choir members and the audience to tears. The instruments played a crucial role in the song, with each excerpt featuring a distinct tone that reflected the different emotions Frank experienced, including despair, love and determination.
“There were certain parts in the movements where we were directed to sing very quietly or very loudly, creating a contrast that made the shock and emotion visible on the audience’s faces,” Hutchinson said. “Many [audience members] were in tears by the end of the performance.”
Many schools in the U.S. spend time reading and discussing Anne Frank’s diary, so most of the choir participants had some sort of understanding of her story. Nevertheless, adding the musical layer to their understanding contributed to a deeper level of emotion that the book alone cannot convey.
Sophomore Emma Miller, a member of the Jenny Lind Vocal Ensemble, said that although Jenny Lind singers perform deep and emotional songs, these songs were “very, very heavy.”
“I was deeply emotional throughout the performance, especially after spending so much time speaking with the composer and learning about her motivations,” Miller said. “Understanding the history behind the piece made the performance even more meaningful, as we kept that context in mind while singing.”
Frank’s life serves as a powerful reminder to always aspire for a world filled with kindness, to believe in the potential of humanity and to keep faith in the future, no matter the challenges we face.
“These words from Anne’s diary were the last ones sung in our performance and printed on our performance shirts: ‘I must hold on to my ideals. Perhaps the day will come when I’ll be able to realize them!’” Zemek said.
