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Goshen College choirs celebrate world music with annual EARTHTONES concert

brianas — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 17:35:54 +0000

Concert: Goshen College Choirs present “EARTHTONES: Songs from Many Cultures”
Date and time: Saturday, April 13 at 7:30 p.m.
Location: Goshen College Music Center’s Sauder Concert Hall
Cost: $7 for adults, $5 for students/seniors, available through the Welcome Center by calling (574) 535-7566, emailing welcomecenter@goshen.edu or online.

GC faculty/staff/students free with ID.

Singing music from multiple regions of the world, the Goshen Choirs will again explore the large palette of sounds available to the human voice in the ninth annual EARTHTONES choral concert on Saturday, April 13 at 7:30 p.m. in Goshen College Music Center’s Sauder Concert Hall.

Performing will be the Goshen College Chorale, Chamber Choir, Men’s Chorus and Women’s World Music Choir. Subtitled “Songs from Many Cultures,” the EARTHTONES program will feature choral works from a wide variety of composers, cultures and countries, including the African-American spiritual tradition, First Nation chant from Canada, Haiti, India, Venezuela, South Africa, Northern Ireland, Finland and an arrangement of a Balinese Monkey Chant. The program will also feature an original composition by GC student composer Levi Smucker, sung in Arabic. The choirs will perform individually and as a joint chorus. During the concert, the choirs will also recognize graduating senior choir members.

Drawing from powerful melodies of almost every continent, EARTHTONES promises to provide a concert of vitality and tone color in a celebration of World Music.

The Goshen College choirs are directed by choral professors Dr. Debra Brubaker and Dr. Scott Hochstetler, and are accompanied by pianists Christine Larson Seitz and Chara Sonntag.

Brubaker, DMA, is professor of music at Goshen College, where she teaches in the areas of vocal and choral music. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Kansas, a Master of Music degree from the University of Northern Colorado, and an undergraduate degree in music from Goshen College. Since coming to Goshen in 1999, Brubaker has directed the Goshen College Chorale and Chamber Choir, and has created the Women’s World Music Choir, which performed in Grand Rapids (Mich.) at the ACDA North Central Regional Convention in February 2008. She and her choirs have collaborated and performed with such noted conductors as Alice Parker, Vance George, Donald Neuen, Gregg Smith and Augusta Read Thomas. Brubaker was assistant professor of music at Bluffton College (Ohio) for ten years, and has also taught choir in public schools in Indiana and Colorado. A focus of Brubaker’s research and teaching explores how the use of singing can become a catalyst for connection between people of differing cultures, faiths and circumstances, also highlighting the role of women as creators and sustainers of art and culture.

Hochstetler, DMA, is assistant professor of music at Goshen College, where he teaches in the vocal, choral and opera theater programs. Under his direction, the Goshen College Men’s Chorus has been selected to perform for the ACDA regional convention in March 2012. He is also the director of the St. Joseph Valley Camerata, an area professional choir. Previous appointments include Western Mennonite School (Ore.), the University of Michigan – Flint, and Corban College (Ore.). As a scholar, his work on Vaughan Williams has been published by The Choral Journal, and he is the co-author of the IPA Pronunciation Guide to Translations and Annotations of Choral Repertoire, German Texts. As a baritone, he has performed opera and oratorio roles and given recitals in Indiana, Michigan and Oregon. Hochstetler holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in choral conducting from Michigan State University, a double Master of Music degree in conducting and voice from the University of Michigan, and a bachelor’s degree in music and biology from Goshen College.

General admission tickets are $7 adults, $5 seniors/students, available online at www.goshen.edu/tickets or via the Goshen College Welcome Center at (574) 535-7566. Goshen College faculty, staff, and students are free with valid ID.

Goshen College Chamber Choir to perform home concert after spring break tour, March 3

brianas — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 16:46:47 +0000

Concert: Goshen College Chamber Choir spring break tour home concert
Date and time: Sunday, March 3 at 7:30 p.m.
Location: Goshen College Music Center’s Sauder Concert Hall
Cost: Free and open to the public

The Goshen College Chamber Choir will conclude their spring break tour to Ontario, Canada, with a “home concert” in the Music Center’s Sauder Concert Hall on Sunday, March 3, 2013 at 7:30 p.m.

The student ensemble will sing a collection of sacred and secular music and poetry following the theme of “Giving Glory” in English, Spanish, Latin and Yoruba. The songs will be sung primarily a capella, with some instrumental accompaniment.

Dr. Debra Brubaker, professor of music, directs the 19-student ensemble. The Goshen College Chamber Choir is an auditioned group of juniors and seniors performing secular and sacred music from the Medieval through Modern periods.

The concert is free and open to the public, though a free-will offering will be held to help defray tour costs.

The choir features the following members: (soprano) Karin Fast, of Waterloo, Ontario; Kate Friesen, of Archbold, Ohio; Brook Hostetter, of Harrisonburg, Va.; Rachel Mast, of Corvallis, Ore.; Emily Grimes, of Goshen, Ind.; Chelsea Wimmer, of Telford, Pa.; (alto) Emily Trapp, of Canby, Ore.; Lavonne Shetler, of Goshen, Ind.; Emily Hedrick, of Telford, Pa.; Jessie Gotwals, of Souderton, Pa.; Erin Bontrager, of Corvallis, Ore.; (tenor) Lucas Godshalk, of Plymouth, Ind.; Benson Hostetter, of Harrisonburg, Va.; Sammy Rosario, of San Juan, Puerto Rico; (bass) Ben Breckbill, of Lincoln, Neb.; Michael Darby, of Iowa City, Iowa; Rudy Litwiller, of Hopedale, Ill.; Grant Miller, of Danvers, Ill.; Justin Yoder, of Perkasie, Pa.

Brubaker holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Kansas, a Master of Music degree from the University of Northern Colorado and a Bachelor of Arts in music education from Goshen College. She was assistant professor of music at Bluffton (Ohio) University for 10 years and has taught choir in public schools in Indiana and Colorado. Since coming to Goshen in 1999, Brubaker has directed the Goshen College Chorale and Chamber Choir, and in 2004 created the Women’s World Music Choir, which performed at the 2008 Central Division conference of the American Choral Directors Association in Grand Rapids, Mich.

Goshen College’s Music Department offers a bachelor of arts degree with concentrations in music education, performance, music technology, piano pedagogy and music in worship. Seventy-five students major or minor in music and enjoy participation in five choirs, staged musicals and operas, orchestra, wind ensemble and jazz band. The Music Department is housed in the Goshen College Music Center, built in 2001. The Music Center features the 1,000-seat Sauder Concert Hall, the 300-seat Rieth Recital Hall, rehearsal and practice rooms, classrooms, teaching studios, a recording studio and an art gallery. The Community School of the Arts, located in the Music Center, provides teaching experience and leadership training for Goshen College students. The Performing Arts Series regularly brings prominent national and international musicians to the Music Center.

Goshen College choirs to perform opera scenes in winter concert

brianas — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 16:39:43 +0000

Winter Choral Concert: Goshen College Choirs, “An Evening of Opera”
Date and time: Sunday, February 17, 2013 at 7:30 p.m.
Location: Sauder Concert Hall, Goshen College Music Center
Tickets: $7 adults, $5 seniors/students, available at the door one hour before the concert. GC faculty/staff/students free with ID.

The Goshen College Choirs will welcome the Fairfield High School Concert Choir to the Sauder Concert Hall stage in the Music Center to perform scenes from various operas throughout music history in their winter concert on Sunday, Feb. 17 at 7:30 p.m.

The choirs will perform scenes from operas by Giuseppi Verdi, Jacques Offenbach, Gilbert & Sullivan and more. The scenes will be lightly staged and accompanied on piano by Christine Larson Seitz and Chara Sonntag.

Performing will be the Goshen College Chorale, Men’s Chorus and Women’s World Music Choir. Also featured will be the Fairfield High School Concert Choir, directed by Ben Kambs, as well as Allison Yoder, lyric soprano and 2011 GC graduate. The Goshen College Choirs are directed by Professor of Music Dr. Debra Brubaker and Associate Professor or Music Dr. Scott Hochstetler.

Tickets cost $7 adults, $5 seniors/students, and are available at the door one hour before the concert. Goshen College faculty, staff, and students are free with valid ID.

Goshen College Chamber Choir to sing for Afternoon Sabbatical on Feb. 12

brianas — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 20:54:03 +0000

Afternoon Sabbatical: “A Limitless Expanse,” by the Goshen College Chamber Choir, directed by Professor of Music Dr. Debra Brubaker
Date and time: Tuesday, Feb. 12 at 1 p.m.
Location: Goshen College Music Center’s Sauder Concert Hall
Cost: Free and open to the public

Goshen College’s Chamber Choir, directed by Professor of Music Dr. Debra Brubaker, will present an Afternoon Sabbatical concert on Tuesday, Feb. 12 at 1 p.m. in Sauder Concert Hall. The program is free and open to the public.

The 19-member student ensemble will sing a collection of sacred and secular music and poetry in English, Spanish, Latin and Yoruba. The songs will be sung primarily a capella, with some instrumental accompaniment.

Brubaker titles the concert “A Limitless Expanse” in reference to the “ability of humans to accept the wideness of God.” Though the texts acknowledge the richness of God’s gifts, Brubaker said they also present “the darker side of human.”

The concert will provide a preview of the choir’s upcoming concerts on the road during spring break. The Chamber Choir will travel to Baden, Waterloo, and London, Ontario on Feb. 23 and 24 to sing for churches. They will present a home concert on Sunday, March 3 at 7:30 p.m. in Sauder Concert Hall. They will also sing in the Earthtones concert on Saturday, April 13 at 7:30 p.m. in Sauder Concert Hall.

A reception in the Music Center lobby will follow the program. Afternoon Sabbatical programs are usually on the second Tuesday of the month at 1 p.m. in Sauder Concert Hall. For more information on the Afternoon Sabbatical series call the Goshen College Welcome Center at (574) 535-7566.

-By Becca Kraybill

Future programs in the 2012-13 Afternoon Sabbatical series include:

Tuesday, March 12, 2013 at 1 p.m. in Sauder Concert Hall, Music Center
“The Amish Way: Patient Faith in a Perilous World” by Professor of History Steve Nolt

Tuesday, April 9, 2013 at noon in College Mennonite Church Fellowship Hall
International Luncheon: Turkey with Merle and Mary Hochstedler
Cost: $20. Call 574-535-7565 before March 30 to register ($5 late fee).

Tuesday, May 9, 2013
Spring Bus Trip to Indianapolis: Show House and State Museum
Cost $65. Register early as there is limited space for this trip. Call 574-535-7565 to register.

November 2012 events at Goshen College

alyshabl — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 19:33:19 +0000

All events are open to the public and are free unless otherwise noted.

Nov. 2 7:30 p.m., Goshen College Symphony Orchestra Fall Concert, Music Center, Sauder Concert Hall

The GCSO, conducted by Dr. Christopher Fashun, will present their fall concert in Sauder Concert Hall.
The GCSO will be joined by the Goshen College Chorale, directed by Dr. Scott Hochstetler, in a performance of Mozart’s Litaniae Lauretanae K. 109. The program will also feature works by Franz von Suppé, Anatoly Lyandov, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 (“Pastoral”).
Tickets are $7 adults, $5 senior/students, available at the door one hour before the concert. GC students/faculty/staff free with ID.

3 7:30 p.m., Performing Arts Series: Del McCoury Band, Music Center, Sauder Concert Hall

This season, we bring back the much-loved bluegrass of the Del McCoury Band. Since he was last here in 2004, Del McCoury has received a National Heritage Fellowship lifetime achievement award and was elected into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame, honoring his 50-plus years making music. Del McCoury and his faithful band demonstrate that bluegrass isn’t just for those with an acquired taste; it’s about presence, passion, and the musical marriage of sound old and new.
15 percent special discount off regular prices for all in-person or phone sales with mention of promo code “PAS.” Non-discounted tickets: $40, $35, $25

7 7:30 p.m., Visiting Artist: Phoenix Park-Kim, Music Center, Rieth Recital Hall

Visiting artist and pianist Phoenix Park-Kim will present a solo piano recital. Park-Kim’s program will include arrangements of J.S. Bach by Wilhelm Kempf and Egon Petri, as well as works by Haydn, Rachmaninoff, Gershwin, Verdi/Liszt and Frederic Rzewski.
Tickets are available for $7 adults, $5 seniors/students, available at the door one hour before the concert. GC Students/faculty/staff free with ID.

9, 10 8 p.m., Fall Mainstage: Urinetown, The Musical, Umble Center

Urinetown, The Musical offers a unique “what if” story. What if in the near future the world has nearly exhausted the earth’s water supply? What if our 21st century Goshen, Indiana, lifestyle isn’t as sustainable as we think it is? How could a musical comedy make fun of musical comedy (insert laugh here) and make us think (analyze and gasp) all at the same time?
Tickets are $10 adults, $5 seniors/students/GC employees. Tickets can be purchased from the Goshen College Welcome Center or online at www.goshen.edu/tickets.

11 4 p.m., CSA Fall Showcase Concert, Music Center, Sauder Concert Hall

Community School of the Arts music ensembles will perform a Showcase Concert in Sauder Concert Hall. The performance will feature the Rejoice Children’s Choir (grades 3-5), directed by Kristin Kauffman, and Shout for Joy (grades 6-8), directed by Sandy Hill. Also performing will be CSA Suzuki String Academy students, directed by Rosalyn Troiano, and CSA piano students, coached by Anna Bauer.
Tickets are $7 adults, $5 senior/students, available at the door one hour before the concert. GC students/faculty/staff free with ID.

12 8 p.m., The Harbor Trio (Jesse Blumberg, Deborah Selig and Cameron Stowe), Music Center, Sauder Concert Hall

The Harbor Trio, a vocal-piano ensemble based in New York and Boston, will present a visiting artist recital featuring art songs and duets from a wide variety of composers, including Brahms, Clara Schumann, Duparc, Sibelius, Ives, Barber, and Bernstein, as well as modern composers Daron Hagen, Lori Latiman, William Bolcom, and Christina Courtin.
Tickets are $7 adults, $5 seniors/students, available at the door one hour before the concert. Goshen College faculty, staff, and students are free with valid ID.

16, 17 8 p.m., Fall Mainstage: Urinetown, The Musical, Umble Center

Urinetown, The Musical offers a unique “what if” story. What if in the near future the world has nearly exhausted the earth’s water supply? What if our 21st century Goshen, Indiana, lifestyle isn’t as sustainable as we think it is? How could a musical comedy make fun of musical comedy (insert laugh here) and make us think (analyze and gasp) all at the same time?
Tickets are $10 adults, $5 seniors/students/GC employees. Tickets can be purchased from the Goshen College Welcome Center or online at www.goshen.edu/tickets.

18 3 p.m., Fall Mainstage: Urinetown, The Musical, Umble Center

Urinetown, The Musical offers a unique “what if” story. What if in the near future the world has nearly exhausted the earth’s water supply? What if our 21st century Goshen, Indiana, lifestyle isn’t as sustainable as we think it is? How could a musical comedy make fun of musical comedy (insert laugh here) and make us think (analyze and gasp) all at the same time?
Tickets are $10 adults, $5 seniors/students/GC employees. Tickets can be purchased from the Goshen College Welcome Center or online at www.goshen.edu/tickets.

30 7:30 p.m., Lavender Jazz Fall Concert, Music Center, Sauder Concert Hall

Lavender Jazz, Goshen College’s big band, will present their fall concert in Sauder Concert Hall. LJ is directed by Christopher Fashun.
Tickets are $7 adults, $5 senior/students, available at the door one hour before the concert. GC students/faculty/staff free with ID.

Goshen College’s Administration Building, Church-Chapel, Good Library, Music Center, Newcomer Center, Union Gymnasium and Umble Center are accessible to people using wheelchairs and others with physical limitations.

Directions to the college and a campus map are available at: www.goshen.edu/virtualgc/tour. For ticket information, contact the Welcome Center, at (574) 535-7566, or e-mail welcomecenter@goshen.edu.

Chamber Choir to present fall ‘mystical’ concerts on Oct. 27 & 28

Jodi Beyeler — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 20:49:58 +0000

Goshen College Chamber Choir

Concert: Goshen College Chamber Choir – “A Mystical Festival: Songs of Earth and Spirit”
Dates and times: Saturday, Oct. 27 at 7:30 p.m. & Sunday, Oct. 28 at 4 p.m.
Location: Goshen College Music Center’s Rieth Recital Hall
Tickets (general admission): $7 adults, $5 seniors/students. Available at the Welcome Center (574-535-7556) or online at www.goshen.edu/tickets

The Goshen College Chamber Choir, directed by Dr. Debra Brubaker, will present two concerts of choral works with a “mystical” theme on Saturday, Oct. 27 at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 28 at 4 p.m. Both concerts will be held in the Goshen College Music Center’s Rieth Recital Hall.

Titled “A Mystical Festival: Songs of Earth and Spirit,” the program will include works by British composers Benjamin Britten, C.V. Stanford, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Robert Whyte and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Also on the program are works by Bulgarian composer Alexander Tekeliev, and American composers Greg Jasperse, Leonard Bernstein and Carol Barnett. The Chamber Choir will perform a cappella, as well as with piano and organ, accompanied by Christine Larson Seitz.

The Goshen College Chamber Choir is an auditioned group of 24-32 upper-class Goshen College students, performing secular and sacred music from the Medieval through Modern periods. In addition to performing with area and regional orchestras, the Chamber Choir performs numerous solo concerts both on and off campus during the school year.

Tickets for each concert are $7 adults, $5 seniors and students. Goshen College faculty, staff, and students are free with valid ID. Due to the limited seating in Rieth Recital Hall, patrons are strongly encouraged to purchase their tickets in advance. Tickets are available by calling the Goshen College Welcome Center at (574) 535-7566, or online at http://www.goshen.edu/tickets/.

Brubaker is professor of music at Goshen College, where she is involved in the choral, voice and opera theater programs, teaches related courses, and previously served as department co-chair. Since coming to Goshen in 1999, Brubaker has directed the Goshen College Chorale and Chamber Choir, and in 2004 created the Women’s World Music Choir, which is an invited performer at the 2013 Indiana Music Educators Association conference in Ft. Wayne, Ind., and has also performed at the 2008 Central Division conference of the American Choral Directors Association in Grand Rapids, Mich. In addition to touring many parts of the United States and Canada, Brubaker’s choirs are in demand regionally, having performed with the Toledo Symphony, Ft. Wayne Philharmonic Orchestra and South Bend Symphony. She is an accomplished hymn leader, specializing in international music. Brubaker’s research focus with hymnologist and musicologist Dr. Mary Oyer involves organizing and cataloguing original recordings of indigenous African musicians, which emphasizes one of Brubaker’s passions – exploring how the use of hymn and folk singing can become a catalyst for connections between people of differing cultures, faiths, ages and circumstances.