John Hugo

John Hugo is listed as chorus master for two upcoming Roanoke Symphony Orchestra programs, a holiday pops concert and a performance of Handel's Messiah. A chorus master trains and prepares a choir before it joins the orchestra, shaping diction, blend, and entrances so the singers are ready for the conductor's performance.

These two programs show the choral repertoire he is preparing for Roanoke audiences. The Holiday Pops concert draws on popular seasonal songs and arrangements meant to be festive and accessible, with the chorus likely joining the orchestra for singalong favorites and arranged medleys. The Messiah performance is far more demanding for a chorus master: Handel's oratorio includes extended fugal choruses, such as "For unto us a child is born" and the "Hallelujah" chorus, where multiple vocal lines enter at different times and must lock together rhythmically and in tuning. A listener can expect a chorus that has been drilled on clear entrances, crisp handling of fast melodic runs, and clean blending between voice parts, since this music exposes any lack of preparation immediately once the orchestra is added.