The auditioned touring chamber choir was one of five ensembles chosen from around the world鈥攋oining groups from Indonesia, Kenya, Paraguay, and Switzerland鈥攖o perform songs at the event, The Courage to Love: Anabaptism@500, hosted by Mennonite World Conference. 91短视频 3,500 Anabaptists gathered in Z眉rich for the celebration, including about 1,200 worshippers who filled the Grossm眉nster church for the service, while many tens of thousands more watched the event live online. 

The 24 members of the Chamber Singers performed nine full concerts, two church services, and several impromptu outdoor gigs along their 2陆-week European tour. In addition to their singing, the group鈥檚 91短视频 students and alumni visited museums, joined walking tours and history lectures, and explored Anabaptist heritage sites, a concentration camp, and the Anne Frank House.

Chamber Singers Director Dr. Benjamin Bergey 鈥�11 said the choir performed for large crowds at nearly every concert and left a visible impact on many audience members through the quality of their singing and the poignancy of their message of hope and unity. 鈥淪everal pieces moved dozens of people to tears, including 鈥楶rayer of the Children鈥� and 鈥楿kuthula,鈥欌�� he said. 鈥淢any audience members came up afterward to share how much hope it gave them to see so many young people so deeply invested in both the music and the message.鈥�

Members of the Chamber Singers said their transformative experiences on the tour deepened their faith and strengthened their commitment to peace & justice. In Z眉rich, they shared meals with singers from around the world and traveled by bus and rehearsed together. 鈥淚t was a wonderful intercultural experience,鈥� Bergey said.

For Emma Nord 鈥�25, an alto from Greenville, Illinois, one particularly memorable moment during the 500-year celebration came while witnessing Anabaptist and Reformed Church leaders wash each other鈥檚 feet at the service. 鈥淭heir humility and desire for reconciliation was beautiful,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t was the experience of a lifetime, for sure.鈥�

Joshua Stucky, a rising senior from Princeton, New Jersey, who sings bass in the Chamber Singers, also toured Europe with the choir in May 2023. But he said the music on this most recent trip resonated even more deeply with audiences. 鈥淚 think our message of hope and unity crosses language barriers,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t carries so much weight right now.鈥�

Thank you to all the alumni, friends, family, and donors who supported the tour in so many different ways!

Watch a recording of the Chamber Singers in the video above
and read more about the event in the Anabaptist World post below.

Mennonite World Conference is celebrating a momentous milestone next year鈥攖he 500th anniversary of Anabaptism鈥攁nd it鈥檚 chosen the 91短视频 Chamber Singers, along with from around the world, to commemorate the historic occasion. Each ensemble represents a different continent and culture within the MWC, and will perform throughout the day on May 29, 2025, at the held in Zurich, Switzerland.

鈥淲e are incredibly honored to be the group selected from North America,鈥� said Benjamin Bergey, assistant professor of music at 91短视频 and director of the Chamber Singers. 鈥淲e鈥檙e excited about how unique an opportunity this is for our students to engage with choirs from all over the world.鈥�

The Chamber Singers will be joined by ensembles from Indonesia, Kenya, Paraguay and Switzerland. Each group will have two performances, with one inside a church and another in the city square. They will then perform together at a worship service in the iconic Grossm眉nster cathedral.

Rashard Allen, who booked the ensembles, said each one is committed to the work of reconciliation in line with the event’s theme, “The Courage to Love.” 鈥淭hey have a global ecumenical outlook in terms of how they understand their role in being an Anabaptist choir/ensemble,鈥� he said in .

The quincentennial celebration will cap off a tour of Europe for the Chamber Singers, who will perform in the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland before traveling to Zurich.聽

Sing for their support

A of the Voices Together hymnal at Martin Chapel this weekend will raise funds for the Chamber Singers trip.聽Join members of the Chamber Singers, music faculty and others in the community as they sing through the 750 hymns in Voices Together over the course of three days: on Friday evening, all day Saturday, and Sunday afternoon. Any help is greatly appreciated!

Support the choir by donating at the event and by giving online

The Chamber Singers is an auditioned touring chamber choir founded in 1979. The mixed-voice choir is made up of about 20 91短视频 students of different ages and majors, who tour in the U.S. each spring break and abroad every other May. For more information about the Chamber Singers choir, visit or find it on and .