The concert will aid the in Burkina Faso, West Africa. Supported by MCC鈥檚 Global Family program, Seed of Hope began as a response to AIDS in the community. Today, it is focusing on helping Burkinab猫 children orphaned due to this pandemic. It aims to improve the nutrition, health, safety, well-being and educational standing of the orphans and increase their chances of community acceptance.

鈥淥ur program includes choral music and congregational singing, focused on the Psalms, and on God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven,鈥� said , director of the 91短视频 Chamber Singers. The March 10 concert is the final performance in the choir鈥檚 spring tour.

The concert will also include a piece by Simon Andrews, a world-recognized composer who wrote the music specifically for Beyond Ourselves and the 91短视频 Chamber Singers.

鈥淢usic by Eric Whitacre, Dan Forrest and from South Africa, including spirituals, will be also be performed,鈥� said Nafziger.

All proceeds raised through a free-will offering will support the Seed of Hope project.

More about the musicians

Beyond Ourselves

The four-person Beyond Ourselves chamber ensemble promotes the global work of MCC with benefit concerts, highlighting a specific region or need each year.

Rosemary Siegrist Blessing is on the piano faculty at the Lancaster Conservatory of Music and teaches piano through the non-credit lesson program at Franklin and Marshall College. She is artistic director of the and serves as minister of music at .

Doris Hall-Gulati is principal clarinetist for the and bass clarinetist of the . She is artist in residence at Franklin & Marshall College.

Christy Heatwole Kauffman, violist, performs with the Lancaster and Reading symphonies, the Allegro Chamber Orchestra of Lancaster, and the .

Ryan Kauffman, saxophonist and husband of Christy, is a faculty member at . He is an active recitalist and leads his own jazz quartet in performances throughout the Central Pa. region.

91短视频 Chamber Singers

This select choir of 25 mixed voices studies and performs choral literature of various periods, styles and cultures at 91短视频. Five of the vocalists are from the Lancaster/Lebanon area.

Kenneth J. Nafziger directs the Chamber Singers. In addition to his 91短视频 course load, he is artistic director and conductor of the annual Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival and directs several other Virginia chamber choirs. He was music editor of 鈥淗ymnal: A Worship Book鈥� (1992) and has edited numerous other song books.

The Chamber Singers spring break tour:

• , 4615 Roland Ave., Baltimore, Md., on Thursday, March 7, at 7 p.m.
• , 4217 East-West Hwy, Hyattsville, Md., on Friday, March 8, at 7:30 p.m.
• , 323 W James St., Lancaster, Pa., on Sunday, March 10, at 9:30 a.m.

Contact 91短视频 church relations at 540-432-4589 or email churchrelations@emu.edu for more information.

Simon Andrews

Simon Andrews, director of music at , Lancaster, was born in England and educated at Christ Church, Oxford, the and the University of California at Berkeley.

Winner of the 1985 Benjamin Britten International Composition Prize, his music has been featured at the Aldeburgh and St. Alban鈥檚 Festivals, broadcast on BBC radio and widely performed in the London, Oxford and San Francisco areas, as well as New York, Boston and Baltimore and also France, Australia, Africa and China.

Locally, he has served as music director of the and held faculty positions at Franklin & Marshall College and Millersville University.

For more information about this year鈥檚 concert, call 717-291-0514.

Alice Parker, an American composer, arranger and conductor who has over a dozen recordings will be in attendance along with American poet Jean Janzen during the opening night of “That Sturdy Vine” at 8 p.m., in Lehman Auditorium.

That Sturdy Vine will feature the Wilbur Pence Middle School children’s chorus, under the direction of Janet Hostetter, and soprano Anne Gross and the 91短视频 Chamber Singers and Orchestra. , professor of , will direct.

In addition, , chair of music, will conduct the strings in Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik.

Admission is free. Donations are welcomed for the 91短视频 music scholarship fund.

For more information contact the music department at 540-432-4225 or email music@emu.edu.

Mennonite/s Writing Conference

Before the concert there is a welcome and poetry reading at 6 p.m. Thursday by Julia Spicher Kasdorf, Jeff Gundy, Todd Davis and Keith Ratzlaff in the University Commons.

In addition, during the conference participants will enjoy a performance by Canadian Mennonite playwright Vern Thiessen and a reading and lecture by Charlottesville, Va., poet Greg Orr. A growing list of writers, including Katherine Arnoldi, Dora Dueck, Janzen and Rudy Wiebe will read their work.

For more information visit the or .

91短视频 Alice Parker

Composer, conductor, and teacher Alice Parker says that she sang before she spoke. What an appropriate beginning for a career that has spanned almost six decades and has been devoted to the creation of works for the human voice.

She began composing at the age of five, and wrote her first orchestral score while still in high school. At Smith College and the Julliard School, she studied composition and conducting, beginning her long association with Robert Shaw. Their many settings of American folk songs, hymns, and spirituals form an enduring repertoire for choruses all around the world. Through the years she has continued composing in all the choral forms from opera to cantata, from sacred anthems to songs on texts by distinguished poets. She has been commissioned by such well-known groups as Chanticleer, the Vancouver Chamber Singers, and the Atlanta Symphony, as well as hundreds of community, school and church choruses.

Now a resident of western Massachusetts, Parker has published books on melodic styles, choral improvisation, and 鈥淕ood Singing in Church.鈥� Three videos have been released showing her work with hymnody. She is the recipient of four honorary doctorates and the Smith College Medal, as well as grants from ASCAP, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the American Music Center. She is on the board of Chorus America.

Jean Janzen

Jean Janzen is the author of six collections of poetry, the most recent being Paper House, published by Good Books, 2008.

Her poems have appeared in Poetry, Image, Gettysburg Review, Prairie Schooner, Christian Century, and numerous anthologies. She has won an NEA grant and has been twice nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Some of her poems have been set to music, including the oratorio That Sturdy Vine by Alice Parker.

A chorale/orchestral piece by Eugene Friesen based on her poetry will be part of the 20th Anniversary celebration of the in June 2012.

Janzen has taught poetry writing at Fresno Pacific University and 91短视频.

“We offer this chapel as a gift to the campus and greater community as an expression of the faithfulness and transforming love of God,” said Brian Martin Burkholder, campus pastor.

The 45-minute chapel will feature songs, scripture and other readings focused on the nativity. Jericho Road, ChoirWithoutBorders and the 91短视频 Chamber Singers will perform at the service.

For more information contact Brian Martin Burkholder at 540-432-4115 or brian.burkholder@emu.edu.

Directed by Ken J. Nafziger, professor of music at 91短视频, the Chamber Singers will blend the theme of Mary with unique holiday songs and carols. The 75-minute concert will include “Mary’s Song,” a piece composed by Celah Pence, a 1986 91短视频 alum, “Gabriel’s Message,” a Basque carol arranged by Joshua Shank and “Missa Brevis in Honorem Beatae Mariae Virginis” by Lithuanian composer Kristina Vasiliauskaite.

“Mary’s Song” and “Gabriel’s Message”

Commissioned earlier this year, Mary’s Song is a four-stanza piece that focused on the different stories in Mary’s life, according to Pence. “It was a meaningful experience, looking through Mary’s eyes at the events of her life and the responses they seemed to evoke in her,” said Pence.

Pence said two unique experiences in Mary’s life鈥攖he crucifixion and friendship between Mary and her sister, Elizabeth鈥攕haped the composing process.

“I was touched by her spiritual connection Mary had with Elizabeth,” said Pence. “In addition, the crucifixion took on new levels of stark reality for me as I pondered what it would be like to lose an adult child and not be able to offer any solace or help in their darkest hour.”

“The concert is focused around Mary鈥檚 song, the Magnificat, a song that has been an important part of the church鈥檚 traditions for centuries,” said Nafziger. “The song combines both praise and justice that will be explored in this concert.”

Additional concert repertoire

The repertoire for the concert includes also a variety of carols and hymns related to Mary and the Magnificat: music of medieval Spain, Guatemala, African-American spirituals, and U.S. composers Ben Allaway and Craig Carnahan.

Admission to the program is free; donations are welcomed for the 91短视频 music student scholarship fund.

The music department will spread some early yuletide cheer in a concert 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 17, in Lehman Auditorium.

The 91短视频 Chamber Singers, University Chorale and 91短视频 orchestra will join forces in a celebration of the Christmas season.

Full-time and adjunct music faculty members will participate along with students in performing Vivaldi’s “Gloria,” “Greensleeves” and “Five Mystical Songs” by Vaughan Williams and Corelli’s “Christmas Concerto.”

91短视频 staff member and alumnus Matthew Hunsberger will be featured soloist on the “Five Mystical Songs.”

The concert is open to everyone free of charge. Donations are welcomed for the 91短视频 music student scholarship fund.

Dan Gardner, a 1993 graduate of 91短视频 and winner of NBC Television’s Today Show “Today’s Superstar” competition, will return to his alma mater to give two concerts during fall homecoming weekend.

Gardner will perform a wide variety of popular music, including original compositions, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Oct. 8 – 9, in Lehman Auditorium, and be available to sign CDs after each show. The 91短视频 Chamber Singers will join him on some selections.

A resident of Atlanta, Ga., where he taught private voice lessons and at a music school before becoming a full-time recording artist, Gardner received the top award on the Nov. 21, 2002 broadcast of the program in New York City. The process included being chosen from among 4,000 audition tapes, performing as one of six finalists and taking part in three weeks of performances. More than 700,000 votes were submitted on-line throughout the contest.

Born in New York City, the liberal arts major was raised in Goshen, Ind., the youngest of five siblings. At 91短视频, he was a voice student of music professor Kenneth Nafziger and a member of the Chamber Singers, which Dr. Nafziger directs.

“Dan is a remarkable person,” noted Dr. Nafziger. “He came to 91短视频 knowing what he wanted to do and never wavered from those intentions. I had never worked for an extended period of time with a singer who wanted to do pop music, so working with him was a real education for me,” he added.

Nafziger noted the “intensity” with which Gardner could communicate a song, whether to an audience of one in a music lesson or to an audience of many – as in his senior recital which packed out Lehman Auditorium.

As Today’s Superstar, Gardner was featured in a live outdoor concert in December 2002 outside NBC’s Studio 1A in Rockefeller Plaza and was awarded a recording session with Warner Brothers Records.

Gardner now has a production company (DG Productions) and a Web site . He still lives in Atlanta, but travels frequently to New York and Los Angeles and gives concerts around the country. He has appeared on national radio, on national television at a Martin Luther King Jr. memorial event and at the Rockefeller Plaza Christmas tree lighting ceremony.

His debut album, “More Than Life,” features many songs written or co-written by Gardner. As vocalist, songwriter, performer and producer, Gardner mixes elements of pop, blues, jazz and rock in this varied collection of ballads, high energy and mid-tempo tunes. His first single off the album, “More Than Life,” climbed to No. 12 on the adult contemporary radio charts.

Admission prices vary. Persons are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance by calling the 91短视频 box office, (540) 432-4582. Tickets will also be on sale at the door.

A host of special events are scheduled at 91短视频 for the week leading up to the inauguration of Loren Swartzendruber as eighth president of 91短视频.

Installation ceremonies for Dr. Swartzendruber will take place 2:30 p.m. Mar. 27 in the University Commons Arena.

Theater, concerts, comedy, a golf tournament, an international fair and a worship service are among the celebrative activities planned on the inaugural theme, “Story Shaping Story.”

* The 91短视频 Theater mainstage production of Shakespeare’s immortal farce, “Comedy of Errors,” will be presented 7:30 p.m. Mar. 19-21 in the Old Gym Theater in the University Commons. Tickets are available by calling the 91短视频 box office, 540-432-4582.

* The Shenandoah Valley Children’s Choir will hold its spring concerts at the Bridgewater Church of the Brethren, 420 College View Drive in Bridgewater. The program will be presented 7 p.m. Mar. 20 and again 3 p.m. Mar. 21, and will feature 150 children in the Preparatory, Treble and Concert choirs. Tickets will be on sale at the door.

* A comedy trio, “CPR,” will present an evening of improvisation 8 p.m. Mar. 22, in the University Commons arena. Members of CPR – Carl Crispin, Pete Vanderluis and Jeff “Ringo” Van Haitsma – specialize in personality-based sketches based on “who we are – three guys just being ourselves and sharing the joy and laughter that comes from knowing Jesus Christ.” Much of their material is made up on the spot on stage, based on ideas or themes suggested by audiences. Advance tickets are available from the 91短视频 box office.

* The 91短视频-community orchestra will present a concert 7:30 p.m. Mar. 23 in Lehman Auditorium. The 33 member ensemble, conducted by Anthony Van Pelt, will perform works by Strauss and Chopin and an original work by VanPelt. Admission is free.

* An inaugural “President’s Cup” golf tournament will be held Mar. 24 at the Spotswood Country Club. A luncheon will be held at 11:30 a.m., with tee-off time at 1 p.m. in a two-person captain’s choice tourney. The event will seek to raise $10,000 to launch the Loren and Pat Swartzendruber Endowed Scholarship Fund for student financial assistance.

Anthony Brown

* An inaugural concert will be presented 8 p.m. Mar. 26 in Lehman Auditorium. Dr. Kenneth J. Nafziger, professor of music, will direct the 91短视频 Chamber Singers and the Bach Festival Chamber Orchestra in spirituals, Cuban music and selections by J.S. Bach. Tony Brown, baritone and artist-in-residence at Hesston College where Swartzendruber was president 10 years, will be featured soloist. Admission to the program is free.

* The inauguration ceremony, at 2:30 p.m. Mar. 27 in the University Commons arena, will feature an address by President Swartzendruber on the theme, “Sacred Conversations.” He will reflect on his belief that all that members of the 91短视频 community say and do, in and out of the classroom, formal and informal, contributes to the intellectual and spiritual formation of students.

Rosalind E. Andreas, chair of the Mennonite Education Agency board of directors, and Sheryl K. Wyse, chair of the 91短视频 board of trustees, will lead the installation for Swartzendruber. Kenneth J. Nafziger, professor of music, will lead the new university hymn, and a litany of support for the new president written by Jay B. Landis, professor of English, will be read. The ceremony is open to the public.

* At 8 p.m. Mar. 27, the Commons arena will take on a “Twilight on the Plaza” motif with music, food and entertainment with an international flair. Admission is $5.

Freeman Miller

* Freeman J. Miller, bishop/overseer of churches in Philadelphia that are members of Lancaster (PA) Mennonite Conference, will speak on the theme, “The Pearl of Great Price,” at an inaugural worship service 10 a.m. Mar. 28 in Lehman Auditorium. Miller, a 1975 Eastern Mennonite Seminary graduate, also teaches urban studies half time at the Philadelphia campus of Messiah College. The service will include congregational singing, scripture readings and communion.

* Inaugural activities will conclude with a concert by the Shenandoah Valley Youth Symphony with guest conductor Efrain Amaya from Pittsburgh, Pa., at 7 p.m. Mar. 28 in Lehman Auditorium. The 17-member junior strings ensemble and the 35-member youth orchestra will perform selections by Amaya with other pieces featuring student soloists Martin King, French horn; Rebecca Peck, cello; and Sarah Sachs, piano. Suggested donation is $5 at the door.

“The inaugural events will be a time of celebrating a new beginning through the sharing of the gifts of students, faculty and
staff,” said Karen B. Miller, director of institutional research at 91短视频 and chair of the inaugural planning committee. “The theme, ‘story shaping story,’ will connect the various events, focusing on relationship with the community, the Mennonite Church and our alumni that sustain us as individuals and as an academic community,” she added.