ORONO – The men that make up Three Mo’ Tenors sang it all on Saturday night at the Maine Center for the Arts’ opening gala.

Ramone Diggs, Kenneth Gayle and Marvin Scott easily moved from Broadway to Motown to gospel to opera and back during a dynamic 90-minute performance. Tuxedo-clad men shouted “Amen” and elegantly turned-out women sang falsetto along to “My Girl.”

Despite an early technical glitch that delayed the start of the show, the three men again and again proved the depth and range of their classically trained vocal chords. Together and alone, their versatile voices filled the Hutchins Concert Hall with a huge sound, delicately layered with human emotion.

Three Mo’ Tenors is the brainchild of Marion J. Caffey, a New York writer, director and choreographer. He conceived the show in 2000 as an African-American variation on the operatic Three Tenors concerts. He believed it would give the three unknown singers a chance to be heard by a broad audience like the one that gathered Saturday in Orono.

Backed by a five-piece band, including a pianist, Diggs, Gayle and Scott each took a turn at operatic classics such as “Rigoletto” and “Tosca,” then expertly slid into gospel hymns celebrating the birth of Jesus. While each tenor’s sound was unique, their voices wove together to create a rich tapestry of sound that filled every nook and cranny of the MCA.

As wonderful as the trio was at re-creating the sounds and moves of classic Motown hits like “Love Train,” it was the emotion each man poured into “Make Them Hear You” from the musical “Ragtime” that clung to theater-goers long after the concert ended. Introduced as the theme song of African-American tenors, the lyrics urge America’s former slaves to stand up for themselves and seek justice.

In solo turns, each tenor gave a riveting performance in numbers that showcased his individual gifts. Diggs gave a deeply mournful quality to “Who Can I Turn To?” from “Roar of the Greasepaint.” Gayle’s rendition of “Master of the Living” from “Possessed: The Dracula Musical” was charmingly chilling. Scott, on the other hand, channeled Cab Calloway in a funny and energy-filled version of “Minnie the Moocher,” the jazzman’s trademark song that brought the audience to its feet.

Alone and together, Three Mo’ Tenors joyfully kicked off MCA’s 2004 -05 season.