From Hungarian folk songs to epic Catholic mass movements, the Oriana Singers will bring diversity to choral music when they perform their spring concert at 2 p.m. Sunday in Esber Recital Hall.

As an all-female choir, the Oriana Singers strive to present music from a wide range of cultures, as well as represent both traditional and unique pieces from the 16th to 20th centuries.

Choir conductor Lynn Drafall said that when selecting the group's concert repertoire, she first based the arrangement upon a single major work. From there, she built the rest of the concert around that piece.

"This year, I've decided to focus the piece around Benjamin Britten," Drafall said.

Known as one of Britain's greatest composers and musicians, Britten was most famous for his mixture of opera and vocal works. He was also known for his accompanist pieces.

Group member Kat Hinkel (sophomore-archeology) said she thinks the wide range of cultural pieces within the group's repertoire mirrors the variety of the group itself.

"Oriana specializes in doing a lot of different songs from diverse cultures," Hinkel said.

"I think that really reflects the diversity within our own group," she added.

One diverse aspect that the group specializes in is the Discantus, a Latin term meaning "we sing."

Oriana President Amanda James (senior-music education) said the group's Discantus usually focuses on performing chamber-style music.

"The Discantus is much more of an intimate atmosphere because it's reliant on individual performances," James said.

Yet even more important than some of the individual performances is the group's ability as a whole to accurately perform songs that feature different languages.

Hinkel said the biggest factor in successfully performing these pieces is the Oriana Singers' ability to translate the songs' original meanings through the music alone.

"One of the hardest things is accurately portraying to the audience what these songs are trying to say," Hinkel said.

As a voice student, James said she is able to realize that people are more likely to pay attention to a song when it's sung in another language.

"When it's something they're not as familiar with, audiences are more likely to pay attention," James said, regarding pieces in foreign languages. "Also, focusing on diction and things like that in songs with different languages also makes you sing with more emotion."

James added that performing in the group and listening to her fellow members sing could at times be a therapeutic experience.

"It's amazing because there's such a sense of unity," James said. "At the end of day, it'll leave you feeling lighthearted."