Men’s Chorus offers music for Lenten journey for March 11 Afternoon Sabbatical

Event: Afternoon Sabbatical – “Out of the Depths” by Goshen College Men’s Chorus
Date and time: Tuesday, March 11 at 1 p.m.
Location: Sauder Concert Hall, Goshen College Music Center
Cost: Free and open to the public
For more information: call College Relations (574) 535-7565 or e-mail edutravel@goshen.edu

GOSHEN, Ind. – Mirroring the Lenten journey from darkness to light, the Goshen College Men’s Chorus will perform an “Out of the Depths” concert on March 11 at 1 p.m. as part of the Goshen College Afternoon Sabbatical Series in the Music Center’s Sauder Concert Hall.

Directed by Interim Associate Professor of Music Scott Williamson, the Men's Chorus will sing Psalm settings from the 16th century to the 20th, American folk hymns arranged by local conductor David Seitz, romantic German part songs by Schubert, and a rousing spiritual. “It will be a program to move the heart, engage the mind and stir the soul,” said Williamson.

Williamson conducts the Chorale and Men’s Chorus, in addition to teaching and supervising music education student teachers. Williamson received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from James Madison University and Westminster Choir College, and earned a doctorate of musical arts degree from the University of Maryland. He was the winner of the 2005 International Opera Singers Competition, held by the Center for Contemporary Opera in New York. Williamson has been an associate conductor and chorus master for Opera Roanoke since 1998, and was director of choral and vocal activities at Shepherd University from 1999 to 2002. Having served as associate director of choral and vocal activities at Washington & Lee University from 1996 to 1999, he returns there frequently as artist-in-residence. He has recently performed with the Tulsa Opera, Annapolis Chamber Orchestra, Opera Roanoke, St. Andrew’s Music Series in New York, Young Victorian Theatre and the Bard Music Festival. His upcoming performances are with the National Chorale, Saint Thomas Church in New York, Virginia Tech and the Masterworks Chorale.

Future events in the 2007-08 Afternoon Sabbatical series:

• April 15, noon, College Mennonite Church Fellowship Hall, “International Luncheon: Cambodia” with Keith Graber Miller, professor of Bible, religion and philosophy and his wife Ann with whom he led the first SST unit to Cambodia. Cost: $20
• May 20 – Spring bus trip to South Bend, Ind. Cost: TBA

Goshen College is celebrating the 30^th anniversary of the Afternoon Sabbatical. A committee of area representatives and college personnel consider the knowledge and talent at Goshen College and among Elkhart County citizens and aim to select programs that will appeal to a wide variety of interests. The program began and continues from the idea that people can use a sabbatical from their daily lives to refresh their minds and spirits.

For more information on the Afternoon Sabbatical series or to register for an event, call the Goshen College Relations Office at (574) 535-7565 or e-mail edutravel@goshen.edu.

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu.