Baritone thrills audience

The latest offering in the current Border Concert series featured baritone Leon Williams in a superb show held April 4 at Backus Auditorium over in International Falls.
Accompanied by pianist Michael Fennelly, Williams thrilled the audience with his rich voice and personal charisma.
The concert opened with a trio of traditional spirituals, “Wade in the Water,” “There is a Balm in Gilead,” and “Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho,” in which Williams demonstrated a depth of emotion that immediately won over his audience.
And Williams made sure the musical tastes of just about everyone were covered. His repertoire included arias from Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro” and Bizet’s “Carmen.”
He also sang show tunes from American composers Leonard Bernstein and George Gershwin.
Many in the audience were left misty-eyed after his moving interpretations of “The Impossible Dream,” “Moon River,” and “Unforgettable.”
In what turned out to be a concert within a concert, Fennelly wowed the audience with three solo sets. His power and blazing speed were showcased in Brahms’ “Sonata No. 1 in C Major,” and in two Chopin Etudes.
But it was his electrifying performance of Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” that brought the cheering crowd to its feet.
Williams was given a well-deserved standing ovation of his own before singing as an encore his personal testimony—a beautifully-sensitive interpretation of the classic hymn, “Great is Thy Faithfulness.”
It was, indeed, a fitting conclusion to a wonderful evening of great music.