On Oct. 8, Atwood Hall’s first floor was packed with Anchorage folks eager to relive the hits of the 1960s and ‘70s through the Anchorage Concert Chorus program of the same name. Once again, Dr. Grant Cochran masterfully created a program to please us all, from James Taylor’s poignant “Lonesome Road,” to Broadway hits like “Frank Mills” and “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In.”
The chorus and orchestra were flawless, the soloists strong, and the audience members were right there with them all, humming, clapping and chuckling as Dr. Cochran read selected stories by choristers of their recollections from those iconic days. Rarely one to include an encore, the maestro surprised us all with the most exciting “Hey Jude” by the Beatles.
I’ve seen standing ovations for ACC’s concerts of the past, but this one was by far the best. Through countless repeats of that familiar refrain, “Hey Jude,” we were all on our feet, waving our lighted phones and singing along. Truly we didn’t want it to end. The Atwood was more joyful that night than ever.
Thank you to ACC, the University Singers, the orchestra, Maestro Cochran, the PAC staff, and especially to you, Anchorage, for showing up to support one of Alaska’s musical gems.
Don’t miss ACC’s annual Family Holiday Pops concert, Sunday, Dec. 18 at 4 p.m. in the Atwood.
— Jan L. Gehler
Anchorage
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