“They use their singing to defeat the darkness, the evil,” said Bergey, associate professor of music at 91����Ƶ and architect of its distinctive’s Music and Peacebuilding undergraduate major. “I thought, This is a big hit right now. What if we rewrote the lyrics and made a parody?”

That’s exactly what he did.

Late one night at the office during 91����Ƶ’s Fall Break last month, Bergey sat down and, in a flurry of creative inspiration, started writing the lyrics to a parody of “,” one of the hit songs from the popular animated film.

“I wrote something up and then thought, It would be even better if we had a video to go with it,” recalled Bergey. “I remembered that Isaac (Andreas) makes parody music videos. I sent him the audio and said, ‘This is a crazy idea, what do you think?’ And then he got to work.”

“He asked me if I would be interested, and of course I was. I was super excited,” said Andreas, who graduated from 91����Ƶ in 2022 with computer science and mathematics degrees. “This is the kind of stuff I do for fun, for free, and he was going to pay me for it.”

Andreas, a computer programmer and videography hobbyist living in Harrisonburg, produced, filmed, and edited the video. Nearly all of the filming, other than some B-roll footage, was shot from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 6. He spent the following three days editing the video using a free tool called DaVinci Resolve. The video released on the 91����Ƶ Music Department’s and on Thursday, Dec. 11.

In addition to Bergey, who lends his singing chops, the video features 91����Ƶ students and Chamber Singers members Elie Hoover, Ciela Acosta, and Samuel Castaneda in leading roles.

Some behind-the-scenes trivia

• The family seen at the start of the video is that of 91����Ƶ Professor Daniel Showalter. “(His two daughters) were the first people to tell me about KPop Demon Hunters,” said Andreas. “They were like, ‘This is the hit of the summer.’”
• Bergey said his two children have been scared to watch KPop Demon Hunters but have been watching the parody music video “on repeat.”
• One of the scenes in the music video was filmed in the “rave room” of a house near campus. Andreas said his friends, who are renting out the property, let him film at the house for free.

is Netflix’s most-watched title of all time. It spent eight straight weeks at No. 1 in the Netflix Top 10. “That’s part of why we thought this would be a good idea,” Bergey said. “Many of our videos reach viewers older than college age, but to connect with prospective students, we need to reach younger viewers. This seemed like a fun way to get the algorithm to reach them.”

Watch the music video below:

“We came out and we owned that stage,” said 91����Ƶ sophomore Ciela Acosta, an alto in the choir. “The energy in that room was palpable.”

91����Ƶ senior Reah Clymer, a soprano whose grandmother lives at the community, recounted “lots of clapping, lots of smiles and lots of tears and dancing” at the concert. “It was packed,” she said. “They had to bring in a couch from the outside foyer for my grandma because the entire chapel was full.”

Students in the auditioned touring chamber choir estimated that well over 100 people attended the Tuesday evening show, where they were joined by the Lancaster Mennonite High School choir. It was one of about a dozen performances throughout Pennsylvania and Virginia by the Chamber Singers during its spring break tour from March 1-6. Twenty-two members of the choir sang songs of hope and unity, the theme of the tour, at four churches, four high schools, a music learning center, and the aforementioned senior living community.

91����Ƶ junior Eli Stoll, who sings bass in Chamber Singers, said that the performance at Landis Homes “definitely felt like the concert where we made the best sound and had the most fun as a group.”

Part of the excitement of that show stemmed from just how many close ties there were to 91����Ƶ. Acosta said that at the beginning of the concert, Chamber Singers Director Dr. Benjamin Bergey asked for a show of hands from those who had either attended 91����Ƶ or had a child attend. “Almost every single person in that room raised their hand,” she said. “Seeing that gave me chills.” 

91����Ƶ junior Hollyn Miller, a soprano from Lancaster whose family and friends were in attendance, said a special moment for her on the tour was performing for her home church, Blossom Hill Mennonite Church. “I had sung a few times at the church,” she said, “and so a lot of people were excited to have us there.”

Another favorite stop for students on the tour was Nations Worship Center, a large Mennonite church in Philadelphia. Because their visit was on a Sunday morning, members of the choir got the opportunity to worship with the Indonesian Mennonite congregation and join together in a meal. 91����Ƶ President Dr. Susan Schultz Huxman delivered the sermon, which was translated into Indonesian.

When Bergey began introducing the choir in what seemed to be near-fluent Indonesian, the group of students was caught off-guard. “We were so thrown off by that,” Miller said, “because he didn’t tell us he was going to do that.” 

Clymer agreed. “All of us were looking around at each other,” she said. “I was watching the crowd, and you could tell they were surprised and loving it.”

The tour included several encore performances. It was during these moments the Chamber Singers would sing “Avulekile Amasango,” a song that Clymer and alto Emma Nord brought back from their spring 2023 intercultural in South Africa. “We loved it so much that we took it on tour with us,” Clymer said.

The annual spring break tour offers a time for the singers to build camaraderie and learn to put the needs of the group first. The intensive nature of the tour, with a concert or two scheduled nearly every day, also helps them hone their craft. “Their sound, blend and performances greatly improved from this tour,” Bergey said. “And we received more feedback than usual at how outstanding this particular group sounds.”

Not all of the choir’s performances were listed in the program. Acosta, who is in her first semester with the group, said one of her favorite memories from the trip came from a hotel pool in Charlottesville. The students, enjoying some downtime in the pool, stood together in a circle and started belting out tunes from their repertoire. “That brought me so much joy,” she said, “and the acoustics were so good in there.”

Stoll said this is the biggest Chamber Singers group in his three semesters with the choir. He had been nervous about touring with such a large group, but those fears quickly evaporated when they began performing together. “I was surprised and pleased with how much fun we had, how much laughter there was, and how much we gelled as a group,” he said. “That’s made me even more excited about Europe.”

Choir members said the experience was useful in preparing them for their tour through Europe this summer, from May 14-31. The Chamber Singers was selected as the group to represent North America at Mennonite World Conference for its 500th anniversary of Anabaptism in Zurich, Switzerland, on May 29. The choir will perform many of the same songs from the spring tour, along with some additions.  are gratefully accepted toward their travel expenses.

In addition to performing with the Lancaster Mennonite High School choir, the Chamber Singers sang with the Dock Mennonite Academy choir at Souderton Mennonite Church. The Chamber Singers performed at the two Pennsylvania schools and at Charlottesville and Rocktown high schools. 

Bergey said they reached scores of prospective students during the high school visits, connected with important alumni, donors and communities, and “spread not only the message of hope and unity, but also the value of an 91����Ƶ education.”

That’s the quick rhyme behind last week’s annual Concerto/Aria Competition, which awarded top honors to three student-musicians for the first time in its six-year history. The winners of the competition, Miriam Rhodes, Rafael de Tablan (who also won in 2023), and Naomi Kratzer, have earned one of the most prestigious accolades on campus for musicians: the chance to perform as soloists alongside the 91����Ƶ Orchestra during its spring Concerto/Aria Orchestra Concert.

Benjamin Bergey, assistant professor of music at 91����Ƶ and conductor of 91����Ƶ’s Orchestra, Chamber Singers, and University Choir, credited the historic moment to the strong performances of the seven student-musicians who competed.

“It was a challenge to choose only two winners,” he said. “After extra deliberation, we decided that the orchestra could accommodate three winners this year, but that’s something we don’t intend to do again in the future.”

The three winning musicians took a moment to answer a few questions from 91����Ƶ News in between practicing for April’s big show. 

Miriam Rhodes

Year: Junior
From: Rockingham County, Virginia
Major: Music and peacebuilding; elementary education
Instrument: Violin

Which piece of music did you choose?
I played the first movement of Max Bruch’s “Concerto No. 1 in G Minor.” My violin teacher Maria Lorcas introduced me to the piece near the end of my freshman year at 91����Ƶ, and I’ve been working on it, on and off, ever since. I’ve spent a lot of time with this piece over the past couple years, analyzing its theory and history, and performing it several times, but I still haven’t gotten tired of it. 

What was running through your mind when you found out you had won?
I was surprised that the judges had picked three winners and immediately got excited. A lot of my passion for making music comes from the joy and relationship-building that happens when you collaborate with other musicians, so I’m super excited to perform this piece with the orchestra and bring it to life together.

How will you be preparing for April’s concert?
I’ve always had some performance anxiety. After my last performance, I felt like I had already achieved a personal victory by pushing myself out of my comfort zone and improving my performance mindset—something my teacher, Maria Lorcas, and the music professors at 91����Ƶ have helped me learn to do. I plan to continue preparing mentally through positive self-talk and visualization.

Rafael de Tablan

Year: Junior
From: The Philippines
Major: Music performance
Instrument: Piano

Which piece of music did you choose?
I played the second movement of Maurice Ravel’s “Piano Concerto in G Major.” I chose this piece because it’s something out of the ordinary. Fast and grand movements are usually selected for competitions, rather than slow ones. But, I chose this slow movement as a sincere dedication to my mom and dad, who nicknamed me “Ravel.”

What was running through your mind when you found out you had won?
I was confident the judges wouldn’t choose a slow piece to win, but boy, was I wrong. When the three winners were announced, I was shocked by the history-making moment. I hugged and congratulated the other two winners. Realizing that my dedicatory piece will be performed with the orchestra, I started welling up with tears thinking about how I could give even more love to my parents.

How will you be preparing for April’s concert?
Definitely practice, practice, practice. I need to polish it even more and review the judges’ feedback. One thing I love to do while practicing is to follow along with someone else’s recording of the same piece. (His piano teacher is Dr. David Berry, director of the music program at 91����Ƶ)

Naomi Kratzer

Year: Junior
From: Goshen, Indiana
Major: Music performance and history
Instrument: Piano (she also plays viola and sings)

Which piece of music did you choose?
I played the first movement of Edvard Grieg’s “Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 16.” My professor, Dr. David Berry, chose the piece for me, but I’ve loved preparing it over the past seven months. This is the only piano concerto Grieg ever wrote, which makes it even more special to perform. It’s also a piece that plays to my strengths as a pianist, so it’s been fun to hone those skills. 

What was running through your mind when you found out you had won?
I was glad they finally came to a decision. The process was the longest in 91����Ƶ history: one whole hour. It was awesome to win with my friend Miriam and my co-conspirator-in-piano, Rafael. 

How will you be preparing for April’s concert?
I’ll keep chipping away at the shakier parts of the movement and make sure I have the entire piece under my fingers, but I also need to start preparing my junior recital repertoire. It’s going to be a full semester, for sure. 

Bergey said Rhodes played with “confidence and finesse” in a thrilling performance of Bruch’s violin concerto. “She is our concertmaster in the orchestra, so it will be wonderful to feature her in this concert,” he said.

He described de Tablan as captivating the room with his “exquisitely musical playing” of the slow movement of Ravel’s piano concerto: “This deceptively difficult movement exuded his musicality, and you could hear a pin drop at the end.”

Bergey recognized Kratzer for tackling one of the most iconic concertos of the night. “She expressed such command of the instrument through her technical playing,” he said. 

Mezzo-soprano Cassidy Williams received runner-up honors. Other musicians competing at the event were Elie Hoover, Riley Quezada, and Jacob Loya. Lise Keiter and Eric Guinivan served as guest judges for the competition. Harold Bailey and David Berry were piano accompanists. 

Watch a video recording of the competition on the 91����Ƶ Department of Music Facebook page.

Read coverage of the event in the Daily News-Record .

For write-ups of previous years’ competitions, click on the links below:

• 2024
• 2023
• 2019

The musicians’ answers have been edited for grammar and conciseness.

“I found that I really enjoyed both my music classes and my peacebuilding classes,” McClary said. “So, I approached [91����Ƶ Music Professor] Benjamin Bergey and asked him, ‘What would it look like to pair them?’”

Her question couldn’t have come at a better time.

“He told me, ‘This is crazy, but there’s this major I’ve been working on,’” McClary recalled from her conversation with Bergey. “It was this moment of total serendipity.”

In 2019, Bergey began developing the music and peacebuilding program, a passion project of his, following his dissertation work on the topic. He had been seeking approval to add the major when McClary approached him with her idea. The first-of-its-kind major, available only at 91����Ƶ, trains students to creatively transform conflict by using music to build common ground, facilitate healing and create a space of storytelling. It was formally added to 91����Ƶ’s list of programs in 2021. Learn more about the music and peacebuilding program by visiting .

Now, McClary, a senior, is set to become the first graduate of the program. Three other 91����Ƶ students, junior Reah Clymer and sophomores Eli Stoll and Miriam Rhodes, are following her lead as music and peacebuilding majors. Bergey said McClary is “a wonderful first graduate as she exemplifies the ethos of the program.”

“Maggie is deeply empathetic, seeking to listen and care well for others,” he said. “She cares about justice at any level of life, and she infuses music into all she does.”

McClary said it means a lot to her knowing she’s able to set a good example for others to follow.

“One of the hardest things about being the first major is that I didn’t know what it would look like,” she said. “Peacebuilding is such a broad umbrella that encompasses so many things, and music is the same. I feel like I’ve been holding out my arms and soaking in as much as I can.”

Her path to music and peacebuilding

Feeling burnt out in high school, the Broadway, Virginia, native had been planning to take a gap year after graduating in 2020. She visited 91����Ƶ during Honors Weekend and said coming here to study “just felt right.”

“I thought, ‘You know what, maybe a gap year is not for me,’” she said, “and I turned around and decided to come to 91����Ƶ instead.”

McClary grew up with music all around her. She learned to play the piano at a young age, performing hymn melodies at Grace Mennonite Fellowship Church, and then mastered the guitar. At Broadway High School, she was part of the auditioned choirs, participated in musicals during each of her four years, and competed in the marching band and color guard.

As she sharpened her musical abilities, she was becoming more active in peace and justice causes. McClary participated in the March for Our Lives (2018) in Washington, D.C., to oppose gun violence, attended Mennonite Convention and was one of the first members of the Virginia Mennonite Youth Council.

As a student at 91����Ƶ, McClary has been active in events with Mennonite Action, a grassroots movement committed to public actions to bring about a lasting peace in Israel and Palestine. She took part in a recent march and hymn-sing outside City Hall in Harrisonburg, calling on city leaders to support a cease-fire.

“That’s music and peacebuilding in action,” she said about the event held in February. 

McClary, who spent her intercultural in Peru, is also a member of the Chamber Singers, an auditioned touring choir that uses music to build connection and community. She said one of the most valuable skills she’s learned in music and peacebuilding is constant self-evaluation. She asks herself: “What is my perspective? Who am I talking to? What is the context and the history? What am I trying to do?”

“I’ve become better at moving through the world by examining myself and asking these questions,” McClary said. “They can be hard questions sometimes, but I feel like I’ve grown so much by doing that.”

Moving forward

For her senior capstone project, McClary hosted a “Musical Haven” space in the Student Union. From 1 to 4 p.m. on April 1, students, musicians and anyone else could join her in playing one of the many instruments available. Music could be made with singing bowls, gourd rattles, a mandolin, two guitars and a cajon drum. 

“Music is powerful as a healing tool,” said McClary, who presented on her capstone on April 10. “It can be emotional, social and even physical healing. I fell in love with this idea of using music to heal and promote well-being in peoples’ lives. … The semester was wrapping up, so there’s greater stress among students. I think it was valuable to have this space.”

After graduating in May, McClary plans to work one last summer at Kenbrook Bible Camp in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, with her husband. Other than that, her future plans are wide open. But, before she leaves 91����Ƶ, she’s been working on a duet from the musical Little Women with friend and fellow music and peacebuilding major Clymer.

“It’s all about saying goodbye,” McClary said. “It’ll be cathartic … a good way to feel those feelings and then let them go.”

She said she would like to see the music and peacebuilding program grow to eventually host regular events, bring in guest speakers and become a greater part of campus life. Donors can support the program by contributing at .

Looking back, she isn’t sure what she would’ve studied had the major not been an option.

“Honestly, if I didn’t major in music and peacebuilding, I might’ve dropped out,” she said. “I’m not really sure. I think it was a special time for the major to come together.”

That’s how the 19 members of the 91����Ƶ Chamber Singers spent their spring break. From March 2 to 9, they performed at venues in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia, and at high schools throughout the Shenandoah Valley. 

The theme of this year’s tour was “Chorus of Peace: Songs of Lament and Hope” and featured selections sung in languages including Sesotho (spoken in Lesotho and South Africa), German, Latin and Italian.

We asked junior Iris Anderson and senior Afton Rhodes-Lehman, members of the Chamber Singers since their first year at 91����Ƶ, and junior Tyler Williams, now in his second semester with the group, to share their experiences from the tour. 

How did this tour compare to others?

Anderson: We got to go to a bunch of high schools nearby and sing for them and tell them about 91����Ƶ. There were a few high schools that a member or two had attended, and so it was fun to see them interact with their high school choir director and see where they came from.

Rhodes-Lehman: On tour, you see your local community in a way you haven’t before. We were going to places I hadn’t been exposed to, like Mennonite churches I haven’t gone to, so that was exciting. 

Williams: This is actually my first spring tour with the Chamber Singers. I can’t speak for other Chamber Singers tours, but I can compare it with other choir tours I’ve been on. This tour was the most fun and one of the easiest I’ve been on, simply because of the people I was surrounded by.

91����Ƶ Chamber Singers at the Basilica of the National Shrine in Washington, D.C., on March 2. (Photos by Rachel Schrock Photography / 91����Ƶ)

Did you have a favorite venue?

Anderson: It’s hard to pick a favorite. We sang in the Basilica of the National Shrine in Washington, D.C., which was a cool place to sing in because it was so big and resonant and sounds beautiful to sing there. The Music Room in Orange, Virginia, was probably one of my favorite concerts. It was a great place. Despite it being a former hardware store, it had pretty good acoustics. And, we sang with the Rapidan Orchestra.

Rhodes-Lehman: I loved singing at the high schools. There are some high schoolers I’ve worked with through 91����Ƶ’s summer musical theater program, so I was excited to get to sing for them.

Williams: My favorite venue was definitely the sanctuary of First Mennonite Church in Richmond. I know a lot of others enjoyed singing at The Music Room. I, unfortunately, got sick on the tour, so I wasn’t able to sing with them there, but from what I heard, I’m extremely jealous that I missed that opportunity.

What was your favorite memory of the tour?

Anderson: I loved hanging out with the people in choir. It’s a great group of people, so it was great to spend time with them and get to know them a little better and have fun. I frequently said to my friends on the trip: “I don’t think I’ve ever laughed this much.” There was a lot of laughter and good connection. All the churches were so generous and gave us dinner. Most nights, we would perform and go home with a host family and get a little glimpse into their lives for a night, like a mini-crosscultural experience.

Rhodes-Lehman: We got to perform in front of the reflection pool on the National Mall and that was fun. We put together our own little band based on instruments that people could play. That day, we probably did at least 12 songs.

Williams: My favorite moments were probably the car rides to and from performances and high schools. That’s where I got to know everybody on a deeper level and I feel so incredibly connected to everyone in Chamber Singers because of those long commutes. I also loved getting to know my host families when we sang at churches for services and concerts.

Answers have been edited for conciseness.

The theme of this year’s tour is “Chorus of Peace: Songs of Lament and Hope.” Benjamin Bergey, director of the Chamber Singers, said he felt it was important to “lean into the idea of hope in a way that’s authentic and holds space for a range of emotions.”

“Hope is super important to us as humans,” he said.

A concert program for the tour lists selections sung in languages ranging from Sesotho (Lesotho and South Africa) to German, Latin and Italian. Other selections include the hymn Hark, I Hear the Harps Eternal, a choral arrangement of Sting’s Fragile, and , as performed by the Native Hawaiian musician and singer Israel Kamakawiwo’ole. As part of the latter arrangement, a few performers will strum ukuleles along with the singing.

In addition to performing at the churches and venues listed on the tour schedule below, the Chamber Singers will perform at eight high schools throughout the Shenandoah Valley.

“By staying closer than previous years’ tours, we have the opportunity to go to a lot of our feeder high schools,” Bergey said. “This allows us to connect with a lot of their music and choral programs.”

Tour Schedule

All performances are free of charge and a free will offering will be taken to support the choir’s travel expenses.

• Saturday, March 2, 4:30 p.m.: Basilica of the National Shrine in Washington, D.C.
• Sunday, March 3, 11 a.m.: Hyattsville Mennonite Church in Hyattsville, Maryland
• Sunday, March 3, 7 p.m.: Daniels Run Peace Church in Fairfax, Virginia
• Tuesday, March 5, 7 p.m.: Waynesboro Mennonite Church in Waynesboro, Virginia
• Thursday, March 7, 7 p.m.: The Music Room on Main in Orange, Virginia
• Friday, March 8, 7 p.m.: First Mennonite Church in Richmond, Virginia
• Saturday, March 9, 7 p.m.: Charlottesville Mennonite Church in Charlottesville, Virginia

Members

The choir includes:

Iris Anderson, Corvallis, Oregon

Hannah Landes Beck, Linville, Virginia

Reah Clymer, Meridian, Mississippi

Maggie Garber, Broadway, Virginia

Adam Hoover, New Carlisle, Ohio

Elie Hoover, New Carlisle, Ohio

Thaddeus Jackson, Harrisonburg, Virginia

Jesse Kanagy, Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Lauren Kauffman, Goshen, Indiana

Philip Krabill, Elkhart, Indiana

Caleb Metzler, York, Pennsylvania

Aaron Moyer, Broadway, Virginia

Jacob Nissley, Canton, Ohio

Emma Nord, Greenville, Illinois

Canyon Penner, Goshen, Indiana

Riley Quezada, Mount Jackson, Virginia

Afton Rhodes-Lehman, Dayton, Virginia

Eli Stoll, Harrisonburg, Virginia

Tyler Williams, Green Lane, Pennsylvania

The 91����Ƶ Chamber Singers is an auditioned touring chamber choir now in its 45th year. The mixed-voice choir is made up of 19 91����Ƶ students of different ages and majors. For more information about the Chamber Singers, visit their website or find them on . Consider donating toward their travel and operating expenses.

Can’t wait until the tour to hear the singers? Give them a listen on Spotify below:

91����Ƶ’s music maestro Dr. Benjamin Bergey earned second-place honors in one of the most prestigious awards competitions in the country for the performing arts. 

Bergey, assistant professor of music at 91����Ƶ and director of its orchestra and choirs, is the runner-up for the 2023 in the college and university orchestra division. 

The annual nonprofit American Prize series of contests is among the most renowned for evaluating music ensembles, directors and solo performers in the U.S., with awards given at the professional, college/university, community and high school levels.

“The panelists and judges are often folks who have experience,” Bergey said, “so to feel that affirmation or validation in the work we’re doing here is really meaningful.”

Anna Wittstruck, director of the Boston College Symphony Orchestra, won first place for conducting in the college and university orchestra division.

In addition to Bergey’s second-place finish, the 91����Ƶ orchestra and university choir were finalists in their respective divisions. 

“I feel proud of the group for having risen to the challenge,” Bergey said. “Even though [the orchestra and choir] didn’t place, to be a finalist in it is something we celebrate.”

For their entries in the competition, Bergey submitted a video of their performance of Dona Nobis Pacem by composer Ralph Vaughan Williams. The piece, which he described as “very ambitious,” was performed by both the orchestra and choir at 91����Ƶ’s 2021 gala concert.

At 91����Ƶ, Bergey teaches conducting classes and advises the new Music and Peacebuilding major. He also conducts the Rapidan Orchestra in Orange, Virginia. He is active as a guest conductor and clinician, leading many resourcing events for worship leaders and conducting festival orchestras and choirs. 

So, when members of the 91����Ƶ Chamber Singers and orchestra strings got the chance to perform with noted artist Hezekiah Walker on Sunday, the experience is one they will likely never forget.

The Grammy Award-winning singer, whose in Richmond hosted the event, led both 91����Ƶ and VUU choirs as vocalist for the song “I Need You to Survive.”

Walker said on Thursday he was still fielding phone calls from people who were disappointed to miss the show. 

“It was a major success,” he said. “People are still talking about it.”

For Jacob Nissley, a Chamber Singers tenor studying music education, watching Walker sing brought back memories. He was reminded of his time in Canton, Ohio, singing gospel hymns at the Baptist church down the street from his home church.

“That guy can sing,” Nissley said about Walker. “He can belt out all the notes.”

Soprano Reah Clymer, of Collinsville, Mississippi, also remarked on the experience.

“He was incredible,” she said. “It was great to work with him.”

Their song together served as the finale for a concert lasting more than three hours that featured prominent gospel artists Crystal Aikin, Jermaine Dolly and Group Fire. A live recording of the show will be submitted for consideration in the Grammy Awards’ special event category. 

Not only was this the first time VUU has recorded a live performance, but also the first time Walker has performed with the choir for its homecoming gospel concert. He said he intends to shine a light on the two talented choirs. 

“I felt like the world needs to hear what comes out of Virginia,” he said. 

Walker added that as he watched the Chamber Singers during the concert, it was clear that they were well-prepared.

“I was amazed by the looks on their faces,” he said. “They knew the words, they knew the lyrics.”

Using music to connect

As a student majoring in music and peacebuilding, Clymer said she’s learned to use music as a form of connection across differences and cultures.

While 91����Ƶ and VUU are both faith-based liberal arts institutions with strong music programs, the two schools have contrasting racial demographics and musical heritages. 

91����Ƶ has a mostly white student body and VUU is a historically Black university. Traditionally, Mennonites sing in four-part harmony and don’t dance or move around as much when they perform, Clymer said.

But, as the choirs sang “I Need You to Survive,” rows of them linked arms and swayed back and forth. 

“It was a cool breaking of that barrier to wrap our arms around each other and move a bit during that song,” Clymer said. “It’s a song about coming together, so it was a good tangible manifestation of that.”

That scene also left a powerful impression on Nissley.

“It was just a really good experience on stage, just being able to look at each other and sing the words to each other,” he said. 

Walker said the 91����Ƶ singers and musicians were invited to build unity. He emphasized the importance of collaboration across different cultures and races.

“There are groups that are fighting, there are backgrounds that are fighting, but then there’s another group of people,” he said. “We come from different backgrounds but we’re not fighting, we’re loving on each other.”

Clymer said one of her favorite memories from the trip was seeing Chamber Singers Director Benjamin Bergey and VUU Gospel Choir Director Joel Lester hug at the end of their performance together.

“Just to see them embracing each other like brothers, that image is imprinted in my mind,” she said. “That was a really sweet moment.”

A partnership in peace

Plans for the event came together last year when a board member of VUU and the Commonwealth Alliance of Rural Colleges — of which 91����Ƶ is a member — approached the 91����Ƶ and VUU presidents and proposed the idea of a joint music concert.  

Bergey said the 18-student choir received its invitation about a month prior and worked quickly to prepare for the show. He wrote the orchestra part for their nine strings musicians. And the 91����Ƶ and VUU ensembles rehearsed their song together just before the start of the concert on Sunday. 

Those in attendance included President Susan Schultz Huxman; Executive Advisor Amy Springer Hartsell; Dan Ott, dean of the School of Theology, Humanities and Performing Arts; Shannon Dycus, vice president of student affairs and dean of students; Harrisonburg Mayor Deanna Reed; and Music Program Director David Berry.

Huxman has said details are being worked out for 91����Ƶ to host the VUU Gospel Choir in Harrisonburg next year for a concert.

Clymer welcomed the continued partnership between the schools.

“It would be really cool to see some of the same people again and to bring something like that to Harrisonburg,” she said. “It would be a real gift to the community here.”

The recording is part of the historically black university’s Homecoming Gospel Concert, held at 6 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 15, at United Nations Church, 214 Cowardin Ave., Richmond.

It will feature a special guest appearance from Grammy Award-winning gospel artist Bishop Hezekiah Walker, as well as performances from other prominent gospel musicians.

Walker, known for songs such as “Every Praise,” “God Favored Me” and “I Need You to Survive,” established the Hezekiah Walker Center for Gospel Music at Virginia Union University in 2021. Its programs include Gospel Heritage; Song Writing, Publishing and Licensing; and Business of Gospel Music.

“Hezekiah Walker is as prominent an artist in gospel music as anyone you could imagine in any other field, like Michael Jordan in basketball or Taylor Swift in pop music,” said 91����Ƶ Music Program Director David Berry.

“It’s a pretty big concert,” said Chamber Singers Director Benjamin Bergey. “A lot of really great musicians and a lot of great music.”

“And then, at the end is this culmination-collaboration in sort of a ‘We Are the World’ feel,” added Bergey, referencing the 1985 multi-platinum hit featuring Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie and Stevie Wonder, among others.

Michele Clay, director of the Hezekiah Walker Center, remarked on the significance of the event.

“This is the first time that the VUU Gospel Choir is doing a live recording,” she said. “This is VUU history!”

President Susan Schultz Huxman said details are being worked out for 91����Ƶ to host the VUU Gospel Choir in Harrisonburg next year for a concert.

“It will be exciting,” she said. “We’d love to make this a regular faith-inspired, peace and justice musical partnership!”

Plans came together last year when a board member of VUU and the Commonwealth Alliance of Rural Colleges — of which 91����Ƶ is a member — approached Huxman and VUU President and CEO Dr. Hakim J. Lucas and proposed the idea of a joint music concert.

Huxman said the schools share many similarities. Both schools are faith-inspired private universities with excellent music programs, both have seminaries central to their identities and both value peace, justice and diversity.

“Like VUU, 91����Ƶ is all about opening doors, removing barriers and creating cultures where students can feel they belong and they can become their authentic selves and find their calling,” Huxman said.

But the partnership also recognizes their differences, she added.

“We celebrate what the coming together of these two schools can yield: VUU is an HBCU; 91����Ƶ is a PWI [predominantly white institution]. VUU is in an urban part of the state; 91����Ƶ is located in a rural part of the state. VUU brings the musical heritage of a gospel choir; 91����Ƶ brings a musical heritage of hymns sung in four-part harmony.”

“I Need You to Survive,” which will be the one song featuring the 91����Ƶ Chamber Singers and orchestra strings, is just one of many recorded on Sunday. Huxman said event organizers wish to submit a recording of the entire concert for a Grammy Award.

Chamber Singers is an auditioned touring chamber choir founded in 1979. The mixed-voice choir is made up of more than 15 91����Ƶ students of different majors and ages. The ensemble tours in the U.S. each spring break and abroad every other May.

Virginia Union University is a premier liberal arts institution and publicly serving HBCU with recognition as a private institution through the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. Founded in 1865, Virginia Union University was originally established to give newly emancipated slaves an opportunity for education and advancement. Today, the university is a center for excellence focusing on preparing and developing today’s students to become advanced leaders of tomorrow.

Professor Benjamin Bergey has been awarded $5,000 to develop music theory content that will be accessible to students free of charge. Bergey is one of eight college professors out of 31 applicants across the state chosen to receive a spring 2021 VIVA Open Course Grant.

VIVA, the academic library consortium of Virginia, awards these grants to instructors to create open, free-of-charge course content, thus removing one of the financial barriers between students and success. Three 91����Ƶ professors in a range of disciplines have been awarded similar grants over the past two years.

Bergey’s project will build upon an existing digital resource, , and add information on aural skills and sight singing. 

“I’m excited about this first and foremost because it saves our students a lot of money,” Bergey said. “Music theory does not need to be taught from expensive textbooks. This grant also allows me to tailor our unique curriculum which combines written theory with aural skills in a more integrated and intentional way.”

The Open Music Theory digital textbook is designed for an “inverted” or “flipped” course, according to its website, meaning that students explore a topic organically and then ask the educator questions, rather than listening to a lecture and then trying to apply it. The book’s topics range from the basics of key signatures to the structure of sonatas to the syncopation in pop music. 

Resources generated by the grant program are also stored in , available for use by faculty in Virginia and beyond. 

The eight projects chosen for VIVA’s spring 2021 grant cycle will receive a combined total of $155,885. The resulting educational materials are expected to save college students in the state approximately $1.9 million over the next five years, according to VIVA. Other projects include a composition course for English language learners, special education teacher training, and materials on race and racism in the U.S. 

Last year, VIVA developed a sister program to the Open Course Grants: the Open Adopt Grants, which pay for the time it takes individual instructors to adopt a pre-existing open resource and assimilate it into their curricula. The Open Grants are funded by the General Assembly and sponsored by the State Council of Higher Education. Since its inception in 2019, the program has awarded over $748,000. 

On this week’s episode of Peacebuilder podcast, Professor Benjamin Bergey speaks with host Patience Kamau MA ’17 about peacebuilding through music, and how working with intercultural youth ensembles inspired him to enter the field. The “Peacebuilder” podcast, in its second season, is a production of 91����Ƶ’s, as it celebrates its 25th anniversary. 

More than 6,500 listeners in 102 countries and 1,239 cities across the globe enjoyed Season I.

The podcast is among just a handful covering the general peacebuilding field. It is available on, Apple Podcasts on iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcast, Stitcher, iHeart Radio, TuneIn and other podcast directories.

Bergey teaches music theory and conducting at 91����Ƶ (91����Ƶ). The university recently announced a new concentration in music and peacebuilding, which Bergey developed. He also conducts the 91����Ƶ choirs and orchestra, conducts the Rapidan Orchestra in Orange County, and served as the music editor for Voices Together, a new Mennonite hymnal.

Bergey told Kamau that he’s always been drawn to leading ensembles, since his early days in church – “bringing people together to make something greater than the sum of its parts.” 

In 2010, during his cross-cultural semester in the Middle East while an undergraduate at 91����Ƶ, Bergey interviewed Palestinians and Israelis about the role of music as a tool of both protest and community-building. He was particularly inspired by two organizations that brought young Arab and Jewish musicians together to build common ground. 

“From a peacebuilding standpoint, we know how dialogue and empathy are those kinds of crucial components in transforming conflict,” he said. The brought the kids together to sing, create their own songs, and take music classes. did much the same, but with instrumental orchestra activities. Both organizations also facilitate dialogue between the students.

[This podcast was recorded before escalation of the current conflict in Israel/Palestine.]

Bergey recalled watching an Arab and a Jewish student sharing a violin stand, struggling together through a particular passage of Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21.”

“It’s these youth coming together in ways that otherwise doesn’t happen …. it doesn’t happen organically, right, in just normal day-to-day living,” Bergey explained. “Studies show that music making together can … help overcome perceptions of dissimilarity and to work towards accepting others’ differences.”

Organizations like these that work in high-conflict areas aim to bring people together in a safe environment.

“That takes a lot of intentionality, a lot of careful planning and facilitation, where they can share experiences, bring themselves to feel like they can tell stories and make music,” Bergey said. “Because really it’s a vulnerable act, especially singing.” 

Bergey went on to write his doctoral dissertation on music and peacebuilding, and trained with in 2018. With a slogan of “War Divides, Music Connects,” the Netherlands-based nonprofit works around the world with artists, social activists and communities on conflict. 

Bergey sees immense potential in this field, even for everyday group settings, in which activities like drum circles, group breathing exercises, or collaborative songwriting can help people become grounded within themselves and build trust with one another.

“This really is an exercise in mindfulness, honestly. It’s important for us to both listen and feel what’s happening within ourselves, but also be able to listen and, dare I say, empathize with those around us,” said Bergey.

A new concentration at 91����Ƶ (91����Ƶ) combines the disciplines of music and peacebuilding to equip students to creatively transform conflict and promote intercultural intelligence. This interdisciplinary program will serve those drawn to using music to build common ground in the contexts of global studies, nonprofit work, theology, worship, sociology, neuroscience, or business administration.

Professor Benjamin Bergey is the advisor for the program. This field was the focus of his doctor of musical arts dissertation, and a subject that he studied through trainings run by .

“This combination, and the arts more broadly, has been a beloved tool of peacebuilders, but this combination has not really found its way into higher education,” Bergey said. “91����Ƶ is well positioned to help pioneer this type of program in higher education with our strong programs in both peacebuilding and music, as well as Anabaptist values in general.”

The program will include fundamental courses in the music and peacebuilding and development departments – like music theory and theories of social change – as well as additional electives tailored to each student’s career aspirations. 

Students in the concentration will build a portfolio of goals, objectives, and tools for applying their musical talents to peacebuilding and everyday life. This portfolio begins in the first year of studies and culminates in a senior project. 

One of Bergey’s inspirations for musical peacemaking is the , which brings together Palestinian and Israeli youth to build relationships through rehearsals, lessons, and creative music-making, as well as facilitated dialogue sessions.

“Making music together helps to establish common ground and shared experiences,” Bergey said. “By building those relationships through experiences of music, they are able to engage in dialogue more profoundly than if they were strangers. They have built friendships and relationships that will help them be collaborative members of society more likely to work to transform conflict.”

Students can enroll in the program in the fall of 2021. Visit our website to learn more.

Did you miss it?

This article by Kathleen Shaw appeared in the Nov. 22, 2020, Daily News-Record.

Dressed in a traditional black gown with hair neatly curled to her shoulders, senior soprano Kiara Kiah opened the annual 91����Ƶ orchestral gala with a delicate duet of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” with professor and baritone James Richardson. But Richardson was nowhere near Kiah for her performance — in fact, he was miles away in Virginia while Kiah stood on the stage of First Presbyterian Church of Athens in Georgia alone.

On Saturday, the 91����Ƶ music department hosted a made-for-broadcast special premiere of the annual gala concert on Facebook Live with the theme “A Concert of Hope.” The evening performance featured musicians recorded inside and outside, near and far, spanning various genres and brought together with a message of fortified perseverance amid a pandemic.

Kiah, who moved to Georgia in September, is completing her studies online and said finishing her career at 91����Ƶ by performing in the gala was a rewarding experience that pushed her comfort zone and flexed the boundaries of possibilities.

“It definitely felt weird because instead of having a person next to you, as you’d sing a classic duet, you had to listen to the person in your ear. But, they’re not actually next to you, so you have to be creative,” she said. “It was a bare slate and was up to me to create the scene.”

Kimberlea Daggy, of musical radio programs “All Things Considered” on WMRA and “Air Play” on WEMC, hosted the virtual gala.

Department chair and pianist David Berry said 2020 has been marked by countless loss and changes, so hope can feel easily diminished, but music is a universal balm for drained spirits.

“Music speaks so well to situations like these in times when it’s hard to find anything to latch onto. Music can lead the way and often be the thing that can speak to such a time,” he said.

As in years past, the gala featured the talents of 91����Ƶ’s Jazz Band, Wind Ensemble, Chamber Singers and the 91����Ƶ Orchestra along with faculty soloists and special guest artists.

Embracing the experimental nature of 2020, this year’s special guests were notably not orchestral acts but offered a fuller scope of music’s capability to intersect genres. The first, AppalAsia, is a Pittsburgh-based, world-folk group that blends instruments of Western and Eastern origins and performed an original song “Four Hills.”

Harrisonburg-based contemporary roots music group The Steel Wheels also joined to play alongside university students and bring an unfamiliar arrangement to a popular melody.

Eric Brubaker is an 91����Ƶ class of 2001 graduate, but he’s better known for playing the fiddle and co-founding The Steel Wheels. Brubaker practiced both classical and folk styles of music growing up and was a concertmaster during his 91����Ƶ days. He said returning to 91����Ƶ and arranging “Sing Me Like a Folk Song” along with the directors of Red Wing Academy, Megan Tiller and Kelly Wiedemann, to perform alongside the university’s orchestra felt like coming full circle.

“To bring my experiences in being a touring musician and also playing more informal styles, bluegrass-influenced styles,” Brubaker said. “To be able to mesh that with the classical music setting is something that interests me in a way where you can find some common ground between the different styles, and that’s exciting to me.”

Brubaker said “Sing Me Like A Folk Song” is a metaphorical tune comparing folk music to the connection between people, but the orchestral arrangement reimagined the meaning to encompass the bridges between classical and Americana, bluegrass styles.

“To be able to reach into those different worlds and create something that combines those two in a different way hopefully sort of gives a way we can continue to reach across all different kinds of divides,” he said.

Donations from the evening benefited the 91����Ƶ music student scholarship fund.

“There’s something for everyone in this program but in a way I feel like it always comes back to those themes of hope,” Berry said. “It’s the best of technology coming together with that timeless sound of a choir, to still be able to do that in this season.”

Thanks to our sponsor:

David Berry, chair of 91����Ƶ’s music department, makes no secret of the vision behind the university’s upcoming made-for-broadcast special premiere of the annual Gala Concert.

Always the highlight of 91����Ƶ’s thriving musical culture, this year’s gala will be a “magnificent evening of music,” Berry said, adding that its inspiration comes from arts broadcasts such as the Kennedy Center Honors. And for musicians who have been unable to perform in front of live audiences, the event offers a rare opportunity for artistic collaboration. That joy alone, notes Berry, is worth tuning in for.

“We want this evening to offer a much-needed message of hope and inspiration for uncertain times through a wide array of beautiful, exciting, and eclectic musical performances,” he said in a recent interview.

Register to watch via Zoom at and participate in a special talkback after the show.

The gala (but NOT the talkback) will be streamed on on Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. [Note that you do not need a Facebook account to access the page.]

The concert is free, with 100% of donations benefiting the 91����Ƶ music student scholarship fund. Please consider giving at least the price of a ticket to the .

Just as in last year’s sensational performance with Phantom of the Opera star Janinah Burnett, the concert will feature the 91����Ƶ Jazz Band, the Wind Ensemble, Chamber Singers and the 91����Ƶ Orchestra along with faculty soloists and special guest artists.

“This year, we welcome The Steel Wheels and AppalAsia, two acclaimed groups which will bring a new flavor of roots music and world music to our gala stage,” Berry said.

Classical music radio host Kimberlea Daggy, of the NPR affiliates WMRA/WEMC, will emcee the event for the second consecutive year. Daggy and the Steel Wheels’ Trent Wagler ’02 will join Berry for a 30-minute talkback after the concert.

The, the nationally recognized Shenandoah Valley-based roots music band and a longtime favorite of 91����Ƶ audiences, is comprised of alumni Wagler, Eric Brubaker ’01, and Brian Dickel ’98, as well as bandmates Jay Lapp and Kevin Garcia. They’ll join the 91����Ƶ orchestra to give the premiere performance of a new arrangement of “Sing Me Like a Folk Song,” a track off their 2017 studio album “Wild As We Came Here.” []

is a Pittsburgh-based trio that one music critic has hailed as “” he’d ever heard. The band blends instruments of Western and Eastern origin, combining the traditional Chinese two-stringed fiddle (the erhu), played by Mimi Jong, with the dulcimer and banjo, played by Jeff Berman and Sue Powers, respectively.

Music faculty Berry and Kim Souther will play an original version of Libertango by the celebrated Argentinian composer Astor Piazzola. 

Berry is an active concert pianist whose performances have been featured in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall, and the Kimmel Center.

Souther, a multi-style cellist who has toured with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, is the newest member of the 91����Ƶ music faculty and serves as director of the Shenandoah Valley Preparatory Music program.

Award-winning baritone and voice professor James Richardson will pair with soprano Kiara Kiah ‘20 in a duet from Mozart’s The Magic Flute accompanied by the 91����Ƶ Orchestra. Kiah was a winner in the Mid-Atlantic Region National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) competition and is a 2020 Cords of Distinction recipient, an honor that recognizes graduating seniors who have made outstanding contributions to the university, community or society.  

Led by faculty conductors Benjamin Bergey and Robert Curry, the student ensembles will present a variety of choral and instrumental musical selections ranging from the music of Beethoven through classic jazz standards.

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First published 10/26/2020.

This summer, 91����Ƶ music professor Benjamin Bergey has been reading…and reading…and reading. For a while, not a week would go by without more new information about aerosolization, how particles are spread, and .

Top of mind for Bergey, who directs 91����Ƶ’s large University Choir and the smaller Chamber Singers: When classes reconvene for fall semester, can he find a way to bring his vocalists together safely? 

Singing indoors in an enclosed space is now widely recognized as having the potential to be a “super-spreader event” for COVID-19 and choir directors are urged to find other creative ways to rehearse, according to the Performing Arts Medical Association and .

On a recent scorching Sunday afternoon outside Lehman Auditorium, Bergey convened a group of local students to test process, timing, and technology – an experiment for his 91����Ƶ singers but also as a model for other choral groups who might be interested in creative measures.

The masked singers, 13 invitees in all, were positioned 12 feet apart with wireless microphones. Bergey wanted to test two methods for hearing each other with such distant spacing. The first method was to send the sound output through an FM transmitter and equip each singer with an individual FM radio.

The group, however, was unable to find a channel that worked. (“All I hear rap,” said one singer. “That’s probably just in your brain,” chimed in another.)

The second method, using a loudspeaker, worked best.

How could they keep from singing?

Through all the tumult and the strife,

I hear that music ringing

It finds an echo in my soul

How can I keep from singing?

To a silent campus … 

Don’t be afraid. My love is stronger than your fear. 

And I have promised, promised to be always near.

To drying leaves and withered bark …

Rain down

Rain down

Rain down your love on your people

They called out the numbers of hymns to sing, to hear: 118, 124, 105, 495…

Bergey played the keyboards. Amidst mutual urging, department chair Professor David Berry left videography behind and took over accompaniment.

For most, it was the first singing together in company for at least six months. Virtual singing was no match.

Bergey called for one final hymn. “606” was the answer.

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow

“I think we’ll stop there,” Bergey said. “There’s a lot to process and a lot going on … but it was good to sing together. Thanks for getting creative with me.”

“Thank you,” said one student.

“Yes,” said another, 12 feet away.

“Yes,” said another, 12 more feet away, as if simple affirmation was all that was needed.

“Yes,” said Bergey. “Yes.”