Thomas Wesley Douglas

In his second season as artistic director of the Bach Choir of Pittsburgh, Thomas Wesley Douglas is taking the group to new places -- literally. Moving the choir beyond the confines of the usual choral repertoire and concert hall or church venues, Douglas has programmed a season that includes jazz and cabaret gigs, collaborations with the River City Brass Band and Wheeling Symphony and concerts in nontraditional sites.

The first unusual place was the lobby of the Purnell Center for the Arts at Carnegie Mellon University, where the Bach Choir opened its season on Friday with a concert of opera excerpts. Singing opera in what is essentially a college student union may seem inadvisable, but Douglas pulled it off swimmingly.

The concert featured guest soloists of varying degrees of proficiency. Soprano Andrea Jones-Sojola was undoubtedly the star of the show. Her technique was flawless and her voice was big enough to fill any concert hall, yet always in perfect, effortless control. Her staging was slightly over the top, but her renderings of Musetta's Waltz from Puccini's "La Boheme" and "Summertime" from Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess" were world-class vocal gems.

Her husband, tenor Phumzile Sojola, showed similar vocal prowess, but his robust, stentorian voice wasn't always controlled.

Nonetheless, his version of Sam's Aria from Carlisle Floyd's "Susannah" was a masterpiece of poignant pathos.

"Susannah" is one of Douglas' specialties, and his intense reading of the Revival Scene was easily the choral highlight, despite bass-baritone soloist Richard Teaster's haphazard performance. The Bach Choir responded to Douglas' inspired conducting with chilling pianissimos and electrifying fortes. Teaster fared better in Vi Ravviso from Bellini's "La Sonnambula," which he sang with lyric expression and nuance. Mezzo-soprano Jennifer Neslund's singing was throaty and forced.

Douglas chose 10 choir members for solo ensembles, duets or incidental solos. The best was the quintet of tenor Christopher Boyd, mezzo Kimberly Campbell, baritone Matthew Dooley and sopranos Carrie Opheim and Kathleen Whittaker singing from Mozart's "Zauberflote."

Under Douglas' direction, the Bach Choir achieved a warm, rounded choral timbre, which they maintained throughout the concert, except in the Witches' Chorus from Verdi's "Macbeth," in which the women were appropriately strident.

The Bach Choir's ensemble balance was well-executed in all but the most fortissimo passages. Their diction was mostly good, and they showed a collective ability to sing over a wide range of dynamics. The singers responded readily to Douglas' stick technique, which was languid and lyrical, yet always precise and focused.