Orchestra and chorale directors to present faculty recital, April 18

Faculty Recital Series: Gregg Thaller, percussion and Scott Hochstetler, baritone
Date and time: Saturday, April 18 at 7:30 p.m.
Location: Rieth Recital Hall, Goshen College Music Center
Cost: $7 adults, $5 seniors/students, available at the door only one hour before the recital. GC students are free with ID.

GOSHEN, Ind. – The two newest members of the Goshen College Music Department faculty – Associate Professor of Music Gregg Thaller and Assistant Professor of Music Scott Hochstetler – will present short percussion and baritone recitals on Saturday, April 18 at 7:30 p.m. in the Music Center's Rieth Recital Hall as part of the 2008-2009 Faculty Recital Series.

The college's orchestra director, Thaller will perform a percussion recital for the first half. Proficient on numerous percussion instruments, he will perform works by Elliot Carter, Paul Creston, Alexander Lepak, Anthony Cirone and Harry Breuer, for marimba, vibraphone, xylophone, timpani and more.

The college's Chorale and Men's Chorus director, Hochstetler will perform works by Schubert, Mendelssohn, Gounod, Mozart and Sullivan as a baritone vocalist. He will also welcome mezzo-soprano Tami Jantzi, and the men of his student voice studio.

Thallerhas been a full-time teacher of music in public and private high schools as well as state and private colleges such as Boston University, University of Cincinnati, Southwest Baptist University, Evangel University, East Stroudsburg University, McPherson College and Salem State College, where he served as chairperson of the music department. His degrees are in performance and music education from Boston University, the University of Hartford's Hartt School of Music and the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music. He has undergone additional orchestral-conducting study at Bard College, University of Iowa, University of South Carolina, Eastman School of Music and the Naples Philharmonic in Florida. As a percussionist, Thaller is a member of the Elkhart County Symphony Orchestra, and has performed with groups such as the Springfield (Mo.) Symphony, the Wichita Grand Opera, the Eastern Connecticut Symphony, the Massachusetts Wind Orchestra, the U.S. Coast Guard Band, the Interlochen Faculty Brass Ensemble and a faculty jazz trio.

Hochstetler teaches applied voice and conducting. From 2000 to 2005, he was music director at Western Mennonite School in Salem, Ore., where his choirs received three runner-up and a first-place trophy at the Oregon State 2A Choir Championships and his voice students won several district competitions. He also taught applied voice, diction, opera workshop and choral techniques at the University of Michigan-Flint and served as adjunct voice instructor at Corban College in Salem, Ore. As a baritone, Hochstetler has performed opera and oratorio roles and given recitals in Indiana, Michigan and Oregon. He holds a D.M.A. in choral conducting from Michigan State University, a double M.M. in conducting and voice from the University of Michigan, an M.A. in teaching from Western Oregon University and a B.A. in music and biology from Goshen College.

Tickets for the recital will be $7 for adults, $5 for seniors and students. They will only be available at the door one hour before the recital. GC students are free with ID.

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.