DeKalb | A few NIU choirs are coming together to relate the human experience in their upcoming fall concert.

Both the Chamber and Concert Choirs and the University Chorus will perform at the concert. Eric Johnson, director of choral activities, said the audience can look forward to hearing music from around the world, transcendent beauty and Spanish romantic poetry.

The Concert Choir is made up of a large select mix of students, the Chamber choir is a 24-voice ensemble consisting of elite vocal performers and music education majors, and the University Chorus consists of an 80-voice choir specializing in sacred and secular music pieces.

“We are not just singing songs,” Johnson said. “We are expressing what it is like to be human through music.”

The Concert Choir has many pieces to share with the audience, some of which include onamonapia, visual gestures and songs in which different languages collide.

Nikki Tolentino, senior music education major and member of the Concert Choir, said she wants the audience to watch the choral groups unite while performing different types of music.

“I’m excited for the audience to hear the various repertoire and share the fun selections of songs.” Tolentino said.

Victoria Schauner, freshman music education major said her favorite piece in the concert is titled “Saul,” by Egil Hovland.

“Being a part of a choir is powerful. Every voice meshes together to tell one story,” Schauner said.

Johnson said learning “Saul” was a special moment for the Concert Choir because during the time the choir learned the song, the NIU community experienced a string of crime, including robberies and a shooting, and the song helped the choir cope.

“We had a long talk about how you are human, you see bad things, you see suffering,” Johnson said. “Music from the past can still relate to things happening around the world now, good and bad. We are exploring the diverse array of what it means to sing and make music.”

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly spelled a source’s name as Nikki Toletino. The correct spelling is Nikki Tolentino.