Iowa State's most select choral ensemble, the undergraduate Iowa State Singers chooses its membership from about 400 active choristers on campus. Ably directed by Dr. James Rodde, the choir annually presents a 5-concert season, with a repertoire emphasizing the a cappella tradition. 'Choral Spectrum I' is a generous collection of 20 songs, from the choir's repertoire from 2001 to 2004, many of them with classical Christian themes, such as Jan P. Sweelinck's 'Pseaume 43, Chris Nielsen's Benedictus Dominus, John Tavener's 'The Lamb,' Emile Desamours' 'Alelouya,'Anthony Bruckner's 'Locus Iste,' Zdenek Lukas' 'Magna Est Vis Veritatis,' Heinrich Schutz' 'Cantate Domino,' Josef Swider's 'Cantus Gloriosus' and others. Also wonderful are the Moses Hogan-arranged spirituals 'Hold On!,' 'My Soul's Been Anchored' and 'The Battle of Jericho,' the Alice Parker-arranged 'He's the Lily of the Valley,' Rene Clausen's 'Quicksand Years,' Eric Whitacre's 'Sleep' and David Dichau's 'If Music Be the Food of Love.' This is stunningly beautiful material, with perfect leads that soar above the rich harmonies, touching and moving us. Exquisite!

Listen to Quicksand Years in RealAudio.

'Choral Spectrum II' is the second of an amazing series by this talented collegiate a cappella ensemble, a collection of 18 songs from the choir's 2005-2006 repertoire. Dr. Rodde directs his hand-picked mixed-voice singers through difficult classical Christian material like J.S. Bach's soaring 'Der Geist hilft unsrer Schwachheit auf,' Pierre Villette's 'Jesu, Dulcis Memoria,' Felix Mendelssohn's 'Im Advent, op 79' and 'Weihnachten, op. 79,' Roberto Caamano's 'Psalm CXVI,' William Hawley's 'O Maria Maris Stella,' Georg Schumann's 'Und ob ich schon wanderte' and Vytautas Miskinis' 'O Sacrum Convivium' with effortless ease and grace. Other winners are the Moses Hogan-arranged 'I'm Gonna Sing 'til the Spirit Moves in My Heart,' the Craig Johnson-arranged 'Motherless Child,' Eric Whitacre's stunning 'Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine,' and Mark Sirett's lovely 'Balulalow.' Each one of these 18 cuts is as beautiful and perfect as we could have imagined!

'Choral Spectrum III' is the last in a remarkable choral trilogy by Iowa State's most select undergraduate choral ensemble, 19 songs from the Singers' repertoire from 2007-2008. The group's emphasis on a cappella renditions of classical Christian pieces is well-represented by 'Si ch'io vorrei morire' by Monteverdi, Heinrich Schutz' 'Ich bin die Auferstehung,' Hans Leo Hassler's 'Dixit Maria,' Igor Stravinsky's 'Ave Maria,' Herbert Howells' 'Requiem aeternam I,' Peter Warlock's 'Benedicamus Domino,' Frank Martin's 'Sanctus Benedictus' and others. A pair of Moses Hogan-arranged spirituals number among our favorites, 'Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel' and 'Ezekiel Saw de Wheel,' as well as the lovely John Rutter-arranged 'Black Sheep,' Eric Whitacre's lovely 'Lux Aurumque,' a pair by Johannes Brahms, 'Warum ist das Licht gegeben' and 'Tafellied,' Gyogy Ligeti's stunning, manic 'Reggel,' and Guido Lopez-Gavilan's spirited 'El Guayaboso.' This is difficult, demanding material, but the Singers handle it with effortless grace. An impressive, beautiful collection by one of the best choral ensembles we have heard!

Listen to Benedicamus Domino in RealAudio.