By Elizabeth Faragi
The University of Maryland School of Music presented its winter concert Monday night at the Memorial Chapel, featuring student-led a cappella groups Voix de Chanson and FreundeMusik.
The groups performed a wide variety of a cappella pieces, many of them winter-themed due to the holiday season. The two a cappella groups alternated every few songs, with the final piece featuring both groups.
The groups also performed songs in their original languages, including Latin, Yoruba, Hebrew and German.
Formed in 2003, Voix de Chanson is a treble ensemble featuring soprano and alto singers. FreundeMusik is an ensemble of tenor and bass voices. The contrast created a beautiful mix of different musical tones and sounds.
Voix de Chanson opened the night with “Gaudete!”, a Latin Christmas carol by Piae Cantiones. “Gaudete!” set the tone for the evening as an upbeat song that showcased the group’s vocal ranges.
Voix de Chanson performed several pieces. The group performed “Edelweiss” by Richard Rodgers from “The Sound of Music,” a familiar favorite turned operatic, and jazz song “Misty” by Erroll Garner, to steer away from traditional hymn-like pieces.
Madison Weil, a sophomore music education major and one of the co-directors for Voix de Chanson, said the directors try to pick different types of music when planning for their performances.
“We try to pick a diverse repertoire,” Weil said. “We always aim to incorporate different cultures and languages in our programs, and we like to have music with contrasting styles and feelings.”
FreundeMusik also performed a wide range of pieces. The first piece was “There is Sweet Music” by Daniel Gawthrop. It’s a slow, haunting piece that highlighted the various voices within the group. In addition, they performed “Haneirot halalu,” a traditional Hebrew prayer.
Lily Gallihue, a fifth-year music composition major and co-director of FreundeMusik, said that the group has an extra rule regarding Judaism.
“We always try to promote Jewish or Hebrew music,” Gallihue said.
Voix De Chanson performed six songs, and FreundeMusik performed five songs. Together, the groups performed the final piece of the night, “The Road Home” by Stephan Paulus.
Weil explained that Voix De Chanson meets every Monday night to practice, and she is incredibly grateful to work with such a great group.
“On those long Monday nights when I’m completely exhausted,” Weil said. “I find that meeting with Voix rejuvenates me and reminds me why I do what I do. I couldn’t be more proud of a group such as this one.”
Gallihue echoed her pride in FreundeMusik.
“All of these people are from so many different walks of life around campus, half of them are not even music majors,” Gallihue said. “The amount of commitment that is present in each and every one of them is something to be really proud of.”
Featured Image: Inside of UMD Memorial Chapel before a capella winter concert performances by Voix de Chanson and FreundeMusik on Dec. 1, 2025. Photo by Elizabeth Faragi.