Goshen College Men's Chorus Spring Tour Blog

blog contributors

Journaling here on behalf of the GC men's chorus are (from L to R):

David Glick
Senior, physics major
Jesse Landis-Eigsti
Junior, music major
Scott Lehman
Senior, music education major
David Magbee
Junior, business major

recent blog entries

Home Concert and THANK YOU!!!

GC "home concert" to benefit Bluffton student-athletes

The Mennonite Game, and Phoenix

Entering Arizona

Sunny California...er, make that just California

responses to the tour

"They were amazing! I haven't heard guys sing like that before; it was so lively!"

- Julie Bell, Bakersfield, CA.

>> read more audience responses

tour schedule

Friday, February 23
Seattle Mennonite Church
Seattle, Washington.

Saturday, February 24
Portland Mennonite Church
Portland, Oregon.

Sunday, February 25
Zion Mennonite Church
Hubbard, Oregon.

Salem Mennonite Church
Salem, Oregon.

Monday, February 26
Western Mennonite School
Salem, Oregon.

Tuesday, February 27
Grace Cathedral Episcopal Church
San Francisco, California.

First Mennonite Church of Reedley
Reedley, California.

Wednesday, February 28
Fresno Pacific University
Fresno, California.

Pasadena Mennonite Church
Pasadena, California.

Thursday, March 1
Sunnyslope Mennonite Church
Phoenix, Arizona.

Friday, March 2
Glencroft Retirement Community
Glendale, Arizona.

Saturday, March 3
Christ Community Mennonite Church
Schaumburg, Illinois.

Sunday, March 4
College Mennonite Church
Goshen, Indiana.

E-mail this to a friend

Mon, 26 Feb 2007

The Beaver State

Today we continued our stay in Oregon with two concerts. Our morning visit was to Zion Mennonite Church, which I was told is Oregon's largest Mennonite congregation. This was a fun concert, as the congregation is home to choir members Brooks and Luke Gingerich, members of a family known for its talented contributions to GC choirs in the past decade. We didn't stick around long at Zion; instead we enjoyed sack lunches packed by our host families as we headed out to the coast.

We headed first to a landmark known as the Devil's Punchbowl, where waves are known to shoot up through a gap in the rocks. The tide was too low for this when we arrived, but we still admired the giant storm-driven breakers crashing nearby. We made a second brief stop in Depoe Bay before heading back inland to Salem.

Our evening concert was at Salem Mennonite Church. After a delicious soup supper we sang in the sanctuary, which is notable for its beautiful woodwork. The sanctuary is not large, and a packed audience and 52 guys made for a intimate setting. We were pleased by an opening of three songs by a talented octet from Western Mennonite School.

It is hard to believe that we have only been on tour for three days--we have already given four concerts and explored many locations. Already I can identify songs which are consistent highlights for me in our concerts:

our energetic rendition of "Farther Along," arranged and directed by senior Brooks Gingerich
"A Christmas Lullaby" -- somewhat out of season, but a fun chance to sing with boy soprano Quinn Brenneman, son of GC president Jim Brenneman
the emotional swells of Franz Biebl's arrangement of "Ave Maria"
our South African freedom song, Akanamandla, which we sing as an encore (If you are attending one of our remaining concerts, be sure that we bring this out. Its powerful simplicity and clapping make it one of the most fun to sing.)

I'm sure that other choir members would highlights other moments as well!

Tomorrow we sing at Western Mennonite School and then head out for San Francisco. We are in for a long bus ride but I'm confident that with this great group of guys it will go quickly!