Ryan Keebaugh Archives - 91��Ƶ News

91��Ƶ Artist Series features Terra Voce with professors David Berry and Ryan Keebaugh

91��Ƶ communications — Wed, 03 Apr 2019 19:55:57 +0000

91��Ƶ’s Department of Music hosts Terra Voce, the duo of Elizabeth Brightbill, flute, and Andrew Gabbert, cello, with Professor David Berry, piano.��The concert is Friday, April 12, at 7:30 p.m. in Martin Chapel. Admission is free, with donations accepted for ��ѱ�’s music scholarship fund.

The concert is part of the 91��Ƶ Music Faculty Artist Series, sponsored by Whitesel Music, of Harrisonburg.

The program “From the Old World to the New,” will feature the world premiere of the composition “light bearer,” by Professor Ryan Keebaugh, with other works by Marin Marais, Astor Piazzolla, Kari Juusela, Pixinguinha and Zhou Tian.

Terra Voce, based in Charlottesville, recently released their third album, Água e Vinho.

More 91��Ƶ Terra Voce

Brightbill held the position of Principal Flute with the Tulsa Philharmonic Orchestra and has performed with a number of other orchestras, including the Alabama Symphony, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, and the Britt and OK Mozart Festival orchestras.

She was winner of the National Flute Association’s Dissertation Competition, semi-finalist in the NFA Young Artist Competition, and 2nd Runner-up in the Myrna Brown Young Artist Competition. Her artistic pursuits with Terra Voce include performance of traditional and multi-cultural musical styles on a copy of the 19th c. Rudall & Rose simple-system flute made by John Gallagher of Elkins, West Virginia.

Brightbill holds the Doctor of Music degree from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music and teaches at Longwood University, 91��Ƶ, and her home studio.

Prior to the creation of Terra Voce, Gabbert held titled positions with the Tulsa Philharmonic and Opera orchestras for eleven years. He has also performed as soloist with the Tulsa Philharmonic and the National Repertory Orchestra, and has recorded on Centaur Records as the Principal Cellist of the Chorus Civitas Orchestra. He has previously been a member of the Baton Rouge Symphony, National Repertory Orchestra and Terre Haute Symphony.

Gabbert currently teaches at Mary Baldwin University, and maintains a private studio in Crozet and Charlottesville.

More about 91��Ƶ professors David Berry and Ryan Keebaugh

A native of Syracuse, New York, Berry is a classical pianist whose performances have been featured in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall, the UW World Series at the University of Washington, as well as live broadcasts of WQXR (New York City). Recent concerto engagements have included appearances with the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival Orchestra and the Hudson Symphony Orchestra.

An avid chamber musician, he has collaborated with members of many of the nation’s leading orchestras, including the New Jersey, Houston, St. Louis, Dallas, and Seattle symphonies. He has toured and regularly concertized as a resident member of the Jacksonville, Florida-based Ritz Chamber Players, The Harlem Chamber Players, and the innovative chamber music theater group, the Core Ensemble.

As an arts administrator, Berry serves as Chair of Chamber Music Programs for the Gateways Music Festival at the Eastman School of Music, a biennial festival which celebrates the contributions of musicians of African descent to classical music, and features over 120 players from major American orchestras and university faculties across the United States. He is also currently the president of the Harrisonburg Music Teachers Association.

Berry received his Bachelor of Music with High Distinction from the Eastman School of Music, and Masters and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in piano performance from the Juilliard School.

Keebaugh ‘s choral ensembles have been invited to perform at international and national festivals, master classes, and historic locations including The Washington National Cathedral, St. John the Divine, New York University Steinhardt, The Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, Bruton Parish Church, and the Edinburgh Cathedral (Scotland). Since 2009, Ryan has often collaborated with American contemporary composers has distinguishing himself as an advocate for interdisciplinary collaboration in the arts, alternative venues and new commissions.

Keebaugh has also maintained an active career within the marching arts. He has worked with several championship high schools band programs in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Texas as a music arranger, brass technician, and marching instructor.

He earned a DMA at The Catholic University of America, a master of music degree at Shenandoah Conservatory and his bachelor’s degree from Bridgewater College.

91��Ƶ choirs to road trip this spring

Christopher Clymer Kurtz — Tue, 12 Feb 2019 16:14:58 +0000

The 91��Ƶ University Choir and Emulate Chamber Ensemble have announced a March spring break tour to Ohio and Indiana.

“Touring allows students the opportunity to build long lasting connections with fellow choral singers as well as contribute to the performance of choral masterworks and new compositions to numerous church congregations and high school students,” said Professor Ryan Keebaugh, who is leading the tour. “Also, a tour allows the ensemble the perfect occasion to recruit and reflect ��ѱ�’s commitment, reshape and enhance community connections, and bear witness to the life, mission, and ethos of the university.”

Their programs will include pieces by Randall Thompson, Eric Nelson, Moses Hogan and A.R. Rahman. Both groups will also premiere choral works by juniors Elliot Bowen and Kaleb Branner.

The tour will include six public performances:

Sunday, March 3:

Maple Grove Mennonite Church, Hartville, Ohio, 10:30 a.m.
Walnut Hills Retirement Community, Walnut Creek, Ohio, 4 p.m.
Berlin Mennonite Church, Berlin, Ohio, 7 p.m.

Monday, March 4:

Waterford Mennonite Church, Goshen, Indiana, 7 p.m.

Tuesday, March 5:

Greencroft Community Center, Goshen, Indiana, 2:30 p.m.
Zion Mennonite Church, Archbold, Ohio, 7 p.m.

The choirs will also perform at Central Christian School in Kidron and Bethany Christian Schools in Goshen.

Thirteen members of the University Choir comprise the��Emulate Chamber Ensemble.

The University Choir, which includes approximately 50 students (up from 37 last spring), will be touring with 43 members, with a subset* of 13 students comprising Emulate:

Folasade Arasanyin, a junior from Harrisonburg, Virginia, majoring in music (interdisciplinary studies);
*Asha Beck, a junior from Linville, Virginia, majoring in digital media and communication;
Emily Bennett, a first-year student from Harleysville, Pennsylvania, majoring in mathematics;
Yoel Bobadilla, a junior from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, majoring in art;
Elliot Bowen, a junior from Canton, Ohio, majoring in environmental sustainability with an environmental science concentration;
Kaleb Branner, a junior from Churchville, Virginia, majoring in music performance;
Robert Chaplin, Jr., a senior from Buena Vista, Virginia, majoring in music;
Hochol (David) Chun, a junior from Suwon, South Korea, majoring in biology;
Bruce Cypress, a senior from Smithfield, Virginia, majoring in music (interdisciplinary studies);
Elizabeth Eby, a sophomore from Goshen, Indiana, majoring in peacebuilding and development
Benjamin Greenleaf, a sophomore from Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, majoring in accounting;
Daniel Hackman, a junior from Lansdale, Pennsylvania, majoring in engineering;
Daniel Harder, a sophomore from Butterfield, Minnesota, majoring in computer science;
Jareya Harder, a sophomore from Butterfield, Minnesota;
*Joshua Holsapple, a senior from Bridgewater, Virginia, majoring in English;
Jacob Horsley, a sophomore from Johnstown, Pennsylvania, majoring in engineering;
Stephanie Kniss, a first-year student from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, majoring in writing studies;
Hannah Leaman, a sophomore from Bakersfield, California, majoring in mathematics;
Philia Lienardy, a sophomore from Semarang, Indonesia, majoring in digital media and music interdisciplinary studies;
*Isaac Longacre, a first-year student from Quakertown, Pennsylvania, majoring in music;
Katlyn Lucas, a sophomore from Stanley, Virginia, majoring in nursing;
Evangeline Lupanov, a junior from Timberville, Virginia, majoring in recreational leadership and sports studies;
*Rachel Lute, a sophomore from New Market, Virginia, majoring in liberal arts;
*Ally Mankamyer, a first-year student from Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, majoring in mathematics;
Kyle Miller, a sophomore from Millersburg, Ohio, majoring in computer science;
*Luke Mullet, a senior from Berlin, Ohio, majoring in mathematics;
Jacob Myers, a first-year student from Archbold, Ohio, majoring in Bible, religion and theology;
*Joshua Overacker, a sophomore from Mount Crawford, Virginia, majoring in music;
Heather Ralls, a sophomore from Linden, Virginia, majoring in nursing;
*Anna Ressler, a senior from Apple Creek, Ohio, majoring in psychology;
*Sarah Ressler, a junior from Apple Creek, Ohio, majoring in liberal arts;
*Partha Roy, a first-year student from Takoma Park, Maryland;
*Joseph Seitz, a first-year student from Harrisonburg, Virginia;
Joshua Sheppard, a first-year student from Maidens, Virginia, majoring in engineering;
Bethany Shultz, a first-year student from Harrisonburg, Virginia, majoring in liberal arts;
Andrew Stoltzfus, a sophomore from Harrisonburg, Virginia, majoring in nursing;
May Swe, a first-year student from Yangon, Myanmar, majoring in peacebuilding and development;
Avery Trinh, a sophomore from Columbia, Maryland, majoring in psychology;
Andrea Troyer, a sophomore from Harrisonburg, Virginia, majoring in environmental sustainability with an environmental science concentration;
Laura Troyer, a sophomore from Millersburg, Ohio, majoring in engineering;
*Leah Wenger, a junior from Broadway, Virginia, majoring in psychology and music;
*Lucas Wenger, a junior from Harrisonburg, Virginia; and
Verda Zook, a sophomore from Dalton, Ohio, majoring in accounting.

Annual gala to feature jazz and wind ensembles, orchestra and choirs

Christopher Clymer Kurtz — Tue, 06 Nov 2018 14:46:53 +0000

The fall 2018 music gala at 91��Ƶ will highlight the university’s many ensembles – and a “lullaby” requiem.

The annual event is 7-9 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 17, in Lehman Auditorium, with a freewill offering to benefit the music scholarship fund.

The first half of the concert will feature the 91��Ƶ jazz and wind ensembles conducted by Bob Curry and the orchestra conducted by Benjamin Bergey. In the second half, Professor Ryan Keebaugh will conduct the combined choirs and orchestra in a performance of Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem Mass.

The evening ranks among concerts at 91��Ƶ as “one of the biggies,” said Professor James Richardson, music department chair.

“It’s a uniquely combined effort,” he said. “You’ll see faculty performing along with students – part of the ethos of our department’s sense of community.” That community includes music majors but also other students, as “many of the people that make up our ensembles are doing it for their own edification – and we like that,” he said. “We have open doors.”

The mass text has been set by many composers including Mozart and Verdi, but Fauré’s version is unique, said Richardson, who will be a baritone soloist alongside junior performance major and soprano Kiara Norman.

“It’s a lullaby for death,” he said. “That might sound morose, but that term is very much meant to imply just the opposite.”

Fauré, an organist and therefore constantly around funeral music, excluded from the mass parts that “really had to do with the anxiety or fear or unpleasantness associated with death,” Richardson said. “It’s a very serene, tranquil approach to one’s end.” ��

Instead of the movement about the wrath of God, Fauré included a Pie Jesu section. He also used different text for the final movement.

As Fauré noted, “It is thus that I see death: as a happy deliverance, an aspiration towards happiness above, rather than as a painful experience.”

“In my estimation,” Keebaugh said, “It’s all about love, and what’s accomplished here during one’s lifetime. It’s more of a Requiem for the living who are coping with death.”

Homecoming concert to feature a cappella ensembles – and jazz with the Bubble Sisters

Christopher Clymer Kurtz — Mon, 17 Sep 2018 21:18:56 +0000

Four a cappella ensembles, a jazz blast from the past, and hymn singing will all be part of the 91��Ƶ Homecoming concert at 8 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 12 in Lehman Auditorium.

Harrisonburg a cappella groups Cantore, Shekinah and Striking Accord will each perform, as will ��ѱ�’s student ensemble Emulate – and the Bubble Sisters with the 91��Ƶ Jazz Ensemble. All will join ranks for the evening’s final number.

In between sets, alumni will lead the audience in singing hymns.

Tickets are $10 in advance/$15 at the door. 91��Ƶ students and children 12 and under are free.�� Register for this and other events at www.emu.edu/homecoming.

The Bubble Sisters – at Homecoming they will include Ruby Kauffman ‘87 Hostetler, Candace Ross ‘87 Ross-Cleary and Wendy Noll ‘86 Martin – under the direction of Professor Stephen Sachs. A means of differentiating the 91��Ƶ jazz ensemble from that of Goshen College, the trio added vocal solos, harmonies and scatting. By 1993, their name had changed to the Swing Sisters. The current Jazz Ensemble is directed by Robert Curry.

Since 2002 the all-male has performed over 300 times and released six albums. Its varied repertoire includes standard religious choral works, bluegrass gospel, spirituals, hymn arrangements and more. Current members are Don Bomberger ‘72, David Clymer, Jim Hershberger ‘82 MAC ‘97, Sam Kauffman ‘12, Phil Kniss ‘82, Robert Maust ‘72, Jeff Myers ‘89, Jeremy Nafziger ‘91 and Jeffrey Smoker ‘16.

assembled in 2003 for an 91��Ƶ chapel service, and since then has since performed numerous concerts and released seven albums of songs such as “Here Comes the Sun,” “O Magnum Mysterium” and “How Deep the Father’s Love For Us.” The all-female ensemble took second place in the April 2018 Shenandoah Valley Sing Off, and currently is comprised of Greta Shenk ‘10 Bucher, Maria Clymer ‘00 Clymer Kurtz, Katie Derstine ‘05, Caitlin Holsapple ‘16, Chelsea Mast ‘09, Ranene Schrock ‘98 Ropp, Selah Shenk ‘11 and Joanna Souder ‘04 Showalter.

formed earlier this year. Its debut performance featured music from a variety of eras and genres from the Renaissance to modern pop. The all-male ensemble includes Jon Bishop ‘17, Sam Kauffman ‘12, Joel Rittenhouse ‘13, Justin Rittenhouse ‘12, Clay Showalter ‘02, Jeffrey Smoker ‘16, Jared Stutzman and Joel Thomas.

��ѱ�’s Emulate Chamber Ensemble is directed by Professor Ryan Keebaugh, whose conducting has been described as “expressive, concise, insightful and sensitive.” The auditioned group has performed at the Washington National Cathedral, and currently includes Asha Beck, Josh Holsapple, Ally Mankamyer, Luke Mullet, Karina Pidroutchniak, Anna Ressler, Partha Roy, Joseph Seitz, Leah Wenger and Lucas Wenger.

The 91��Ƶ Jazz Ensemble includes students Joshua Ayers, Bruce Cypress, James Dunmore, Leah Lapp, Jonathan Larsen, Joshua Overacker, Kaitlin Parker, Madalynn Payne, Sarah Ressler, Avery Trinh, and alumni Craig Hofstetter, Evan Knappenberger and Sam Kauffman. Read about their 2017 revitalization.

Senior Luke Mullet rises to the challenge at NYU Film Scoring Workshop

Christopher Clymer Kurtz — Wed, 22 Aug 2018 18:07:03 +0000

The words Luke Mullet uses to describe his two weeks at a film scoring workshop this summer say a lot: “challenged” – “absolutely packed” – “massive increase” in understanding – “very stretched” – “extreme time crunch” – and “4 a.m.”

That’s how late the 91��Ƶ senior stayed up to meet a next-day deadline to score a two-minute movie clip during the New York University Film Scoring Workshop in May and June.

Luke Mullet and music professor Ryan Keebaugh at 91��Ƶ.

Mullet was one of just 20 participants in the chamber and soloist track of the workshop, which was headlined by such composers as 19-time Emmy nominee Mark Snow, best known for his wildly popular theme music to the TV hit series “The X-Files,” and , who has composed for film, television, games and advertising (his first major hit was the ). Among the featured guests were veteran music editors Suzana Peric (The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Silence of the Lambs) and Todd Kasow (True Grit, Wonderstruck).

Instruction topics included creative processes and composition, technology, editing, recording and mixing and more.

Challenge and affirmation

One component of the workshop was taking the studio control room “hot seat” to direct and record percussion, hammer dulcimer and string quartet performers playing his clip composition, Mullet said. He then mixed those live recordings with electronic mock-ups, an experience that taught him “how to respond under the extreme time crunch that comes with professional recording.”

“X-Files” composer Mark Snow with Luke Mullet and a fellow participant in the workshop.

In subsequent public critique sessions, the professional composers provided feedback and tips.

Mullet was “very stretched by the general culture of the Hollywood-oriented composing world,” he said. “To be honest, it’s a tough atmosphere. You have to really have to be comfortable with showing off – and be able to take criticism in stride.”

But he also heard affirmation for for a chase scene in The Bourne Ultimatum: NYU professor and professional composer “Mark Suazzo offered some encouragement – that I produced a solid piece of music,” he said.

Hobby seeds professional goals

Though Mullet has been creating electronic music as a hobby since he was in high school, he was “nudged”�� to take composition lessons with Professor Ryan Keebaugh. Thanks to that supportive relationship and numerous ongoing projects with students in the visual and communication arts (VACA) program, Mullet has reason to hope “it might go somewhere.”

One collaboration that VACA Professor Jerry Holsopple says has distribution potential appears in the for an upcoming documentary about the Dakota Access Pipeline protests: an with Mullet’s music. Another is an upcoming VACA-created documentary No Longer Theory about MJ Sharp, slated to include music Mullet will compose as part of his honors capstone project.

His music is also featured in a behind-the-scenes video about that film’s making, called “,” another , a timelapse video “,” and more.

Mullet said he also “can’t stress enough” the role that Keebaugh played in his preparation for the workshop through composition lessons, technology tips and encouragement.

“Even though Ryan is a classical composer, lessons with him helped me develop a wide variety of composition skills that made this workshop possible,” Mullet said. “He’s an absolutely wonderful, thoughtful and inspiring instructor.”

The future

Mullet is set to graduate with a math degree, but on top of being a composer, too, .

“I love creating music and would love to make a larger career out of classical, film or video game composition,” he said. “That said, the values that I have been developing during my time at 91��Ƶ might lead me towards some form of international service for a longer stretch of time.”

Music? Math? Sustainability? Service? They “will all be large components of my future work and studying,” he said.

University Choir and Emulate to present April 10 concert ‘Pilgrimage’

Christopher Clymer Kurtz — Tue, 27 Mar 2018 16:00:05 +0000

An upcoming concert titled “Pilgrimage” and presented by two 91��Ƶ vocal ensembles will reflect the “whole journey toward that which is sacred,” said director and professor of music Ryan Keebaugh.

The concert by the University Choir and Emulate chamber ensemble is on Tuesday, April 10, at 7 p.m. in Martin Chapel, and is free and open to the public. Donations will support the music scholarship fund.

The program will feature works that date from as early as the 1500’s to this decade and are from across the globe.

The 37-member University Choir will be accompanied by organist John Fast on R. Vaughan Williams’ “O Clap Your Hands,” and pianist Rebekah Hade will accompany the choir on Craig Hella Johnson’s arrangement of Eliza Gilkyson’s “Requiem” and John Leavitt’s “Festival Sanctus.”

The choir will also sing “Gabí, Gabí,” a South African praise song.

Emulate will then sing nine works ranging from John Sheppard’s sixteenth century “The Lord’s Prayer” to Karl Jenkins’ 2011 “Healing Light.”

Keebaugh’s conducting has been described as “expressive, concise, insightful and sensitive,” and his choral ensembles have been invited to perform at international and national festivals, master classes, and historic locations including Emulate at the Washington National Cathedral.

His compositions have been called “innovative and hauntingly beautiful” by The Washington Post and praised as “gorgeous canvases of sacred minimalism,” and have received numerous awards and recognition including the Raabe Music Prize.

At 91��Ƶ, Keebaugh�� is the music education specialist and coordinator of music theory. He conducts the choir at Grace United Methodist Church in Middletown, Virginia.

Hade is organist and pianist for the same church, and teaches music at Signal Knob Middle School in Strasburg, Virginia. .

Fast has been an active member of the 91��Ƶ music faculty since 1975, and frequently accompanies various Shenandoah Valley choral ensembles, including the .

Members of the University Choir are Shelby Alto, Folasade Arasanyin, Perry Blosser, Yoel Bobadilla, Elliot Bowen, Kaleb Branner, Chelsea Brubaker, Clara Bush, Victoria Campbell, Robert Chaplain, Mariah Denlinger, Dijuan Gilbert, Dylan Grove, Daniel Hackman, Rachel Holderman, Aaron Horst, Earnest Kiah, Hannah Marston, Hannah Menefee, Holly Mumaw, Elizabeth Nixon, Kiara Norman, Lorren Oesch, Joshua Overacker, Kathryn Pettit, Karina Pidroutchniak, Gabriel Raber, Anna Ressler, Sarah Ressler, Emma Roth, Caleb Schrock-Hurst, Kellie Serrell, James Stoltzfus, Andry Stutzman, Emily Travis, Andrew Troyer and Lucas Wenger.

Emulate includes Perry Blosser, Dijuan Gilbert, Lorren Oesch, Sarah Regan, Anna Ressler, Sarah Ressler, Emma Roth, Caleb Schrock-Hurst and Andry Stutzman.

Emulate announces spring concert schedule

91��Ƶ communications — Fri, 16 Feb 2018 15:43:44 +0000

Emulate Chamber Ensemble, from 91��Ƶ, will give four concerts this spring.

The group specializes in jazz, modern and contemporary concert literature, both secular and sacred. Members of Emulate represent all academic majors and are selected by audition. They also perform with 91��Ƶ’s .

Three concerts will be in Harrisonburg, with a fourth concert in Charles Town, West Virginia.

Emulate performs in November 2016 at the National Cathedral in Washington D.C. (91��Ƶ file photo)

The ensemble is directed by Professor Ryan Keebaugh, an award-winning composer.�� His most recent honor was to be named��one of three winners in the 2017 Raabe Prize for Excellence in Sacred Composition.

Emulate helped to debut Keebaugh’s Symphony No. 1 in December 2016, a commissioned piece to celebrate 91��Ƶ’s centennial celebration.

In November 2016, Emulate was��invited to at the National Cathedral in Washington D.C.

Concert schedule

Feb. 25, Park View Mennonite Church, Harrisonburg,��11 a.m.
April 8, Emmanuel��Episcopal Church, Harrisonburg, Choral Evensong,��4 p.m.
April 10, with the University Choir, 91��Ƶ, Martin Chapel,��7 p.m.
April 21, St. James the Greater Catholic Church, Charles Town, West Virginia,��4 p.m.

Emulate members

Emma Roth, of Goshen, Indiana;
Lorren Oesch, Caldwell, Idaho;
Anna Ressler, Kielson, Ohio;
Perry Blosser, Harrisonburg, Virginia;
Andry Stutzman, Harrisonburg, Virginia;
Caleb Schrock-Hurst, Harrisonburg, Virginia;
Dijuan Gilbert, Rocky Mount, Virginia;
Sarah Ressler, Kidron, Ohio;
Sarah Regan, Sugar Creek, Ohio.

Students honored at fall recognition chapel

91��Ƶ communications staff — Fri, 08 Dec 2017 19:38:16 +0000

During the Dec. 8 Fall Recognition Chapel, the following students were honored:

Academic Success Center

Linda Gnagey, director of the Academic Success Center, and Professor Vi Dutcher, with the Writing Program, recognized the following tutors concluding their service in December: Hannah Gross, Harrison Horst, Kat Lehman and David Nester.

Campus Ministries

Ministry assistants completing their service are: Kyra Lehman, Holly Mumaw, Laura Rittenhouse, Jenna Lile, Clara Weybright, Anali Martin, Seth Peters, Aaron Gusler, Sarah Kline, Kate Kauffman, Hannah Wheeler and Joseph Harder.

Pastoral assistants are Alexa Weeks and Nathaniel Nissley. Undergraduate Campus Pastor Lana Miller provided the recognition.

Center for Justice and Peacebuilding

Center for Justice and Peacebuilding recognitions.

Professor Roxy Allen Kioko recognized the following students:

Hannah Kim for her��outstanding��work as a graduate research assistant;
Kajungu Mturi and Brenna Case for their work with the Brazil delegation that spent five days on campus learning more about restorative justice [read more here];
Trina Trotter Nussbaum for her commitment to community-building at CJP;
Andrea Moya Urena and Renata Loberg for their leadership with the DACA Dialogue Planning Committee [read more here];

Department of Applied Social Sciences

Katrina Poplett and Jonatan Moser were recognized for their leadership over the past two years of Take Back the Night by Professor Deanna Durham, faculty advisor [read more here].

Sociology major Harrison Horst was recognized by Professor Jenni Holsinger for his academic work and service. Read about Harrison’s many

Theater Department

Professor Heidi Winters Vogel recognized the nomination of Emma Roth, Clara Bush and Renata Loberg — actors in the fall production of MacBETH — to the Irene Ryan Scholarship competition and Amber Hooper for the stage management competition at Kennedy Center American Theatre Festival.

Latino Student Alliance

Co-presidents Ariel Barbosa, Alejandra Rivera, Anna Messer and Mario Hernandez were recognized by M. Esther Showalter, faculty advisor. [Read about their fall activities here.]

Business and Economics Department

Ryan Faraci, Jacob Sloan and Erik Peachy were recognized for extraordinary academic performance by Professor Tammy Duxbury. Brittany Williams was recognized for her leadership, academic performance and service by Professor Joohyun Lee.

Multicultural Student Services

Director Celeste Thomas recognized the Alpha Omega Dancers for Christ: Hannah Shultz, Delight Tigoe, Qing Wang (Freya), and Kellie Serrell.

The Black Student Union Board of DeVantae Dews, Childra Nwankwo, Ivan Harris, Jess Washington, Precious Waddy, Jourdyn Friend and Clarrisa White were also recognized for their steadfast leadership.

Music Department

Luke Mullet was honored by Professor Ryan Keebaugh for achievement in composition and choral music (Professor James Richardson presenting). Read about Luke’s many talents.

Audrey Myers congratulates Dylan May on his academic achievement award from the nursing department.

Nursing Department

Professor Audrey Myers, advisor of the Nursing Student Association, presented the department’s biannual awards: Dylan May, academic achievement award; Kim Heatwole, servant leader award; and Annie Trinh, Sacred Covenant Award.

Student Life

Rachel Holderman and Nicole Litwiller, student leaders of the Royals Cup competition, named Elmwood Residence as the top points accumulator of the fall semester.

The “fall individual MVP” was Andrew Troyer, followed in second place by Andrew Reimer-Berg. Third place was a three-way tie with Cameron Byer, Sarah Ressler and Lucas Wenger. In fourth place was Aaron Horst, Skylar List, Adam Peachey and Kayla Sauder. Rounding out the top 10 MVPs is Lauren Hartzler.

Student Government Association

Outgoing members were recognized: from the executive council, Nicole Litwiller, vice president and Luke Mullet, secretary; and from the senate: Nathaniel Nissley, Abigail Shelly, Leah Wenger and Ben Zook.

Athletic Honors

Student-athletes receiving honors and awards during the fall semester were also recognized. For more coverage, visit .

100 Years of the Arts at 91��Ƶ

Randi B. Hagi and Lauren Jefferson — Mon, 25 Sep 2017 13:04:01 +0000

Students entering 91��Ƶ today may not realize that in their grandparents’ generations, this institution offered one music option: Singing, usually in four-part harmony, a cappella hymns only.

For arts more broadly, until the late 20th century, many North American Mennonites limited the arts to purposes of functionality, as in hand-crafted quilts for beds or pottery to contain foodstuffs, or education, as in artistic creations with explicitly Christian themes.

In 1963, two students hang art in a makeshift gallery.

As early as the 1920s some tentative steps were taken towards permitting visual and performing arts on campus, but that tension was not fully resolved until the 1970s. (This approximation is a venture based on this timeline, but perhaps alumni of that era may provide other evidence to the contrary.)

During mid-1960s through the 1970s – encompassing 15 years of great social change within Eastern Mennonite College and beyond – president and theologian Myron Augsburger BA ’55, BTh ’58, guided the institution from insularity into full acceptance of activities that undergird a liberal arts college, including art, instrumental music, drama and intercollegiate athletics.

Now at 91��Ƶ, students learn to study and use art transform the world, discover purpose, deepen faith, reach across generations and enter into healing spaces.

This timeline of the arts at Eastern Mennonite was created by Randi B. Hagi ’15 and editor Lauren Jefferson. It was reviewed by professors Jerry Holsopple, John Fast, Joan Griffing, John Horst, Heidi Winters Vogel, Stephen Sachs and Barbra Graber, as well as by Gretchen Maust ’73.

We welcome additions or comments. Please use the comment box at the end of this article.

***

1913

The first constitution specifies that was to be taught, and no instruments were permitted.

1918

Noah D. Showalter joins the faculty as the first music teacher. He has a certificate from the American Normal School of Music in Harrisonburg, and had studied voice under renowned teacher J.D. Brunk.

1920

Students form music groups for entertainment: duets, quartets, choruses, trios, octets and double mixed quartets.

1921

“The Holy City,” directed by J. Mark Stauffer, at homecoming in 1953.

Commencement includes music.

1922

The first president, J. B. Smith, resigns because he has a piano in his home, which his oldest daughter plays. (Instrumental music was officially banned from Mennonite churches.) The Smith family returns to Ohio. He was replaced by A.D. Wenger, whose wife Anna May Wenger then gave up her pump organ in support, although she was later chastised for subsequently playing at someone else’s home.

C.K. Lehman directs “The Holy City” at commencement, which becomes an annual performance until 1970.

1923

The first issue of the Eastern Mennonite School Journal is published, as well as the first annual.

1924

A faculty quartet is formed. Seniors were allowed individual photos in the school annual.

1927

Virginia Conference forbids bishops, ministers and deacons from possessing musical instruments and urges all members to do the same. (This is rescinded in 1947).

“Any instrument playing rag-time music had to be deposited with the business manager or sent home,” says the student handbook.

The first visual art classes are taught at the high school level by a home economics teacher.

1930

The “X-Hall” or “Guild,” a small building behind Northlawn Residence Hall, is built as an exercise hall, but is eventually used as a . It is now a storage space.

More than 70 percent of the student body (148 at the time) belonged to one of three campus choruses, which sang only hymns and only a capella (without instrumental accompaniment).

1937

The Mixed Choir makes the first tour to Johnstown, Pennsylvania.

1939

J. Mark Stauffer ’38 led choirs at 91��Ƶ from the late 1930s through the 1960s.

Mark Stauffer ’35, Juilliard-trained and a Madison College graduate, is the first full-time music instructor and first faculty member with a music degree. He expands offerings beyond the previously offered two courses, to appreciation, voice, introduction to music, history of music, church music, theory and choral conducting. Stauffer will lead choirs through the ’60s.

The Christmas Cantata, first offered by faculty as a gift to students, becomes a tradition.

The Weather Vane newspaper begins as a one-page mimeograph, growing to a two-page pamphlet by its third issue.

1943

Lehman Chapel is built as an all-purpose space for chapel, music and theater, among other activities.

1944

becomes the first art professor. She also teaches physical education until her retirement in 1987, but then continued teaching a watercolor class until 1996.

Professor J. Mark Stauffer directs the Mixed Chorus in the old chapel that was located in the Ad Building in 1942.

Skits are allowed but must be “purposeful rather than merely entertaining.” Costuming is not allowed, but draping (wearing of clothes over regular attire) is.

1945

The Shenandoah annual is established.

1947

A second touring choir is formed by 24 members of the mixed chorus. They visit Ontario churches.

The original farmer’s cottage, located near the current seminary building, is converted to EMC’s first art building.

1948

The faculty council expresses mixed concerns, but not consensus, about student attendance at opera and Shakespeare productions.

Guitars, phonographs and other instruments are allowed to be played in the recreation room in the basement of Northlawn Residence Hall.

Earl M. Maust joins the faculty. He teaches until his death in 1969.

1949

A faculty committee recommends allowing the use of motion pictures for teaching.

1952

The Shenandoah staff of 1953. M.T. Brackbill, advisor. Clockwise from bottom left: Laban Peachey (editor-in-chief), Robert Witmer, Norman Kiser, Jay B. Landis, Milo Stahl, Miriam Pellman, Evelyn Rittenhouse, Ruth Nussbaum, Ruth Burkholder.

The record player for instructional purposes is allowed.

1954

WEMC begins, with singing and spoken broadcasts. No instrumental music recordings are allowed. .

1955

The faculty adopt a statement about dramatics that limits productions to less than full performances, with costuming and props kept to a minimum.

1956

The merge, and the Weather Vane changes to a newspaper format, including halftone photographs.

1958

The Phoenix, ��ѱ�’s literary and visual arts journal, is founded by Professor��I.B. Horst ’39. Literature professor J. Herbert Martin ’59 serves as its first editor.

1959

“The Diary of Anne Frank” was EMC’s first full-length theater production.

Films are shown once a month for entertainment purposes in the assembly room.

1960

The first full-length theater production, sponsored by the Smithsonian literary society, is The Diary of Anne Frank.

A Festival of Fine Arts features plays, lectures on the arts, art displays and musical presentations.

1961

The Windsock, the Eastern Mennonite High School newspaper, separates from the Weather Vane. The first are run in the Weather Vane.

1962

Jean Snyder sings at a 1963 Smithsonian Literary Society music program, accompanied by Helen Delp.

A piano is permitted in the music department for “technical studies.”

Instrumental music is no longer banned on college radio broadcasts.

A piano is accepted as an alumni gift for the student lounge.

1963

The Piranha, the first underground student newspaper, forms in the face of administration censorship of the Weather Vane. Censorship was dropped the following year, and the Piranha died with it.

1965

A small student instrumental group forms, which soon grows to an orchestra led by music professor Ira Zook.

1968

The new opens, and with that, the largest classroom on campus is used as a recital hall, theater, and general performance space.

Faye Garber Yoder graduates as EMC’s first piano concentration under the music major.

1970

“Rebirth,” a student group, releases their first album after first playing together during the 1969 Miracle Fund Drive for the new Hartzler Library. The group eventually went on two tours and in 2016, released a third and final album. Read more .

The Board of Trustees approves the commission of painted portraits of the five college presidents, to be placed in the new Hartzler Library. This building is dedicated in October 1971, with the portraits, painted by Oliver Schenk, hanging in the second floor “President’s Room.”

Esther Kniss Augsburger, EMC’s first art graduate, went on to become an advocate for Christian art and founder of the art program at Eastern Mennonite High School.

1972

graduates as the first art major, earning a degree in secondary art education. The current art building is named after her, and her sculptures can be found around campus, such as the Love Essence white figures by the seminary. She founds the EMHS arts program, which she runs until 1980.

1976

Lehman Chapel is for essentially the first time, becoming EMC’s first performing arts auditorium, with sound equipment, side stage exits, dressing rooms, and a rehearsal hall.

1981

Barbra R. Graber ’76 becomes the first theater professor (specifically, assistant instructor in drama)

1981

The 91��Ƶ JAZZ, a big band ensemble, and Swing Sisters, a female vocal ensemble, begin under the direction of Professor Stephen Sachs.

From 1983 Shenandoah: Basileas is a Greek word meaning ‘of the Kingdom’ and at EMC is a drama-music group which traveled to Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania churches and schools. The group of eight students provided performances of worship through mime, storytelling, movement, and music. Front: Brian Gehman. Middle: Emilie Stoltzfus, Linda Huber, Bev Benner, Cathy Brubaker. Back: Kenton Zehr, Cheryl Mast, Doug Brunk.

1983

“Basileas” forms, an eight-member traveling drama and music group which performs in Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania church and schools.

Also in 1983, a cast of eight actors in “Storm: An Improvisation on the Theme of the Sexes” bring in poetry, monologues, sketches and skits, scenes from larger plays, even cartoons that are then woven together into an original show that introduces the larger culture’s discussion of feminist ideas through humor and improvisation. “It was quite an undertaking!” Barbra Graber remembers. “The audiences were enthusiastic. Sociology professor John Eby and his wife pulled me aside after the show to say, ‘We wish we had seen this show about 20 years ago!'”

1985

Bradley Swope graduates as the first organ major.

1986

The Weather Vane switches to desktop computer publishing.

1991

Working with Ted Swartz ’89, M.Div ’92, Professor Barbra Graber ’76 co-founds and directs AKIMBO, an award-winning community-based professional theater with Mennonite themes and participants. The group continues until 1998. Members included Lee Eshleman ’86, Suzanne Kiblinger ’91 Kratz, Jeremy Frey ’92, Pamela Frey ’92, Rose Stauffer ’85, Ingrid DeSanctis ’88, Duane Sider, Nancy Good and Joy McIlvaine ’88.

1992

The , a week-long summer music festival, begins.

AKIMBO is commissioned to create the 75th anniversary theater production. Barbra Graber, Ted Swartz and Duane Sider collaborate�� in the playwriting.

Also in 1992, “HomecomingHome,” a collaboration of Kenneth J. Nafziger and Barbra Graber, presents dramatic and musical segments “on the theme of coming home��to the Body, as sacred temple;��to the Earth, where all things are connected;��to the Family, with the tragedy of abuse and dysfunction as well as the joy of togetherness;��and to Death, our natural place of rest.”

1996

“Drippings of the Honeycomb” is a theatrical multi-media performance based on portions of the Psalms and Proverbs. Barbra Graber says of this production that she may have never experienced “a more profound creative experience. We would begin each rehearsal going into quiet prayer and guided meditation on the chosen Psalm or Proverb. Then we would get up and begin to embody what came to us during the quiet time. It was truly profound. I had the distinct feeling that the text was somehow infusing us with creativity.”

1998

The first digital media classes are taught by Jerry Holsopple, then a part-time instructor.

2000

Professor Ken J. Nafziger, founder of the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival, conducts a rehearsal. He retired in 2017 after nearly 40 years of service to 91��Ƶ and its students.

A communication major is created within the Language and Literature Department, with an emphasis on digital media. (The first full-time faculty member, in 2001, is Jerry Holsopple).

2002

Previously housed under the expansive Language and Literature Department, communication and theater become autonomous departments, moving along with art into the newly renovated University Commons office suite.

2003

Professor Ken J. Nafziger leads the along with Ysaye Maria Barnwell, a member of the renowned gospel group Sweet Honey in the Rock. From 1999 to 2003, when President Bill Clinton opened the doors to Cuba through education-centered travel permits, Nafziger made 11 music-centered trips.

2004

The jazz band plays its final season.

2006

Digital media and photography majors are added. The Visual and Communication Arts Department, known popularly as VACA, is the result of a merger between the communication department and the art department.

2007

WMRA picks up the WEMC broadcast, retaining Mostly Mennonite, Mostly A Cappella, hosted by emeritus professor John Horst, from 8-9:30 a.m. Sundays (encore at 8 p.m. Wednesdays). Also retained is the Park View Mennonite Church worship services, from 9:30-10:30 a.m. 91.7 FM and online at.

2008

Theater professor Heidi Winters Vogel and student Pam Mandigo ’08 found , a summer high school theater workshop. This program is supported by Arts Council of the Valley and 91��Ƶ with students from area high schools.

2009

Professor Cyndi Gusler introduces to 91��Ƶ. The biannual Mennonite Church convention begins featuring the show.

2009-2010

Renovations in the older part of the University Commons create two new theater spaces, a new digital media lab and the Margaret Martin Gehman Gallery.

Professor Jerry Holsopple’s icons exhibit is the first in the new Margaret Martin Gehman Art Gallery.

2010

Into the Window is the first exhibition in the new Margaret Martin Gehman Gallery, featuring icons painted by Jerry Holsopple during his year in Lithuania as a Fulbright Scholar.

Phase II construction of the University Commons is completed, including the renovated 200-seat MainStage Theater, the relocated Lee Eshleman Studio Theater, the new Margaret Martin Gehman Art Gallery and the new Kenneth A. Longacre Sr. Advanced Media Lab. The facility is in the spring of 2011.

2011

The Bus Stop by Chinese Nobel Laureate dramatist Gao Xingjian inaugurates the new . ��This production was directed by Heidi Winters Vogel and featured original music by Frances Miller.

The new Studio Theater space is to actor Lee Eshelman ’86, who also worked in the 91��Ƶ print shop and as a graphic designer.

2011

Theater professor Heidi Winters Vogel co-founds the “Inside Out Playback Theatre” group, which employs a form of improvisational drama based on audience storytelling, after participating in informal Summer Peacebuilding Institute workshops led by .

2013

by playwright and immigration lawyer Kara Hartzler ’94, directed by Heidi Winters Vogel, is invited to the Mennonite National Convention in Phoenix, Arizona.

Emulate, under the direction of Professor Ryan Keebaugh.

Visual and Communication Arts Department merges with the Theater Department.

2015

Emulate, a touring ensemble, forms under the direction of Professor Ryan Keebaugh.

Jonathan Drescher-Lehman ’15 is the first 91��Ƶ student to win entrance into the prestigious North American Nature Photography Association College Scholars program. He produces a , with other scholarship recipients and professionals, about the San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge.

2016

Professor Justin Poole and his wife, Amanda, lead the first in Central Europe. The group of 22 students attended 35 plays, visited 38 theaters, and produced their own dramatic piece about the different stages of cultural integration.

Professor Steven David Johnson’s conservation photography course is one of two in the United States highlighted by ; the other is taught at Stanford University.

Macson McGuigan becomes 91��Ƶ’s second North American Nature Photography Association College Scholar.

2017

Jazz band with the help of student saxophonist Harrison Horst ’17 and director Greg Curry.

Macson McGuigan ’17 is the to win entrance into the prestigious North American Nature Photography Association College Scholars program. He produces a film, with other scholarship recipients and professionals, about a proposed Florida wildlife corridor.

“,” a 400-ton sculpture by Esther Augsburger ’72 and son Michael ’80, is mounted at 91��Ƶ after years of display in Washington D.C.

During Homecoming and Family Weekend, Ingrid De Sanctis ‘88 and Ted Swartz ’89, MACL ’92, are joined by alumni actors to debut��What we bring. What we take. What we leave.

The 10 x 10 x 100 , curated by Ashley Sauder Miller ’03, features six prominent alumni artists and their 100 works measuring 10 inches x 10 inches. A percentage of the sales will be donated to the 91��Ƶ arts program.

��

‘Expanding the Legacy, Enlarging the Tent’: Annual faculty-staff conference draws community to Centennial themes

Lauren Jefferson — Thu, 17 Aug 2017 16:29:09 +0000

91��Ƶ faculty and staff dipped their hands into bowls of water as they received a blessing on their work for the coming year. The sacred ritual concluded the Aug. 15-16 faculty-staff conference which opens each academic year with worship, singing, plenary and breakout sessions, shared food and shared stories.

The final blessing, offered by Undergraduate Campus Pastor , included a prayer for each attendee, the students from all faiths and backgrounds who would begin arriving on campus that day, and — in acknowledgement of — for courage to confront “systems of racism that destroy rather than build the Kingdom of God.”

President Susan Schultz Huxman dons one of three pairs of glasses during her keynote address.

This year’s theme��—��“Expanding the Legacy, Enlarging the Tent” — emphasized integrating ��ѱ�’s history and traditions with a vision for its second century; the conference also officially launched ��ѱ�’s celebrations.

Strong vision

President donned three different types of eyewear during her keynote address to illustrate the “special kind of seeing we do in Anabaptist Mennonite schools … more clearly, deeply and widely.” [Listen to the .]

91��Ƶ is well-poised with “strong vision and high purpose” for the future, she said.

Merging perspectives of hindsight and foresight with Anabaptist-inspired insight, she noted ��ѱ�’s strong and vibrant historic legacy; a robust, holistic and distinctive education that includes cross-cultural study and faith formation; and a cohesive, faith-filled community of faculty and staff.

“We have just begun to promote a vibrant future of counter-cultural Mennonite education, one that prepares our students for relevant and in-demand careers and meaningful spiritual lives shaped by the reconciling love of Jesus,” Huxman said.

While praising ��ѱ�’s entrepreneurial spirit, epitomized in pioneering professor emeritus and philanthropist Margaret “Speedy” Martin Gehman and Alumnus of the Year , Huxman noted new academic offerings: the program, offered collaboratively with Goshen (Indiana) College, as well as the new four-year and a neuroscience minor.

Approximately 380 new and returning employees participated. The fall semester begins Monday, Aug. 28.

��Many voices

Faculty and staff fill Lehman Auditorium Aug. 15 to hear President Susan Schultz Huxman’s keynote address.

A panel of respondents to Huxman’s speech included , , and . The final session of storytelling, a much-loved tradition, included , , , and .

Special guest Donald B. Kraybill provided a one-hour preview of his forthcoming Centennial history, 91��Ƶ: One Hundred Years of Counter-Cultural Education (Penn State Press, 2017) to be released at the Oct. 13-15 .

Four breakout sessions highlighted influential programs, themes and concepts:

— Professors and traced the history of racial-ethnic diversity at 91��Ƶ, with special attention to current diversity trends and shifting paradigms. They asked, “How could and should paradigms and power structures shift? How can and should our new diversity help us more fully understand and realize the radical nature of our Anabaptist values?” Click here to .
Professor Peter Dula addresses a packed room during a presentation and discussion of 91��Ƶ’s motto “Thy Word is Truth.”
Drinking in Knowledge at the Source: 91��Ƶ’s Cross Cultural Program — A panel of five experienced cross-cultural program leaders discussed one of ��ѱ�’s most unique academic programs and included , professor and interim cross-cultural program director; , program assistant; , emeritus professor; , cross-cultural leader and adjunct instructor; and professors and .
Creating a Beloved Community at 91��Ƶ: Organizational Culture as Blessing and Barrier — Professor discussed culture and sub-culture identities as both assets and liabilities. He invited the group to list both blessings and barriers to ��ѱ�’s culture (and multiple sub cultures), noting that you must first understand your own organizational culture before you can��interpret for��—��and thus fully integrate��—��newcomers.
“Thy Word is Truth”: Old Song, New Tune — Professor , associate dean of Eastern Mennonite Seminary, and Professor discussed “word” and “truth” as the biblical writer imagined these words, and engaged with ways that the motto speaks to��91��Ƶ at 100 years.

Our Royal Pride: Multi-talented Josh Calderon, a fan of history and photography, invigorates Yoder Arena with pep band leadership

Randi B. Hagi — Thu, 27 Apr 2017 18:04:08 +0000

“Our Royal Pride” is an occasional series celebrating 91��Ƶ’s undergraduate students who contribute to campus life in extraordinary ways in addition to their academic pursuits.��These students enthusiastically create their own niches, constantly re-defining what it means to be an 91��Ƶ Royal student “Like No Other.” Read more profiles . Nominate a student with an email to news-editor@emu.edu.

***

Josh Calderon didn’t expect to be won over by athletics. As a history buff with a passion for music, Calderon says that sports weren’t part of his life growing up. But that’s changed for the junior, who single-handedly last year and is now its leader and primary composer.

The 91��Ƶ pep band, which Josh Calderon helped to revitalize and now leads, brings music and entertainment into Yoder Arena. (91��Ƶ file photos)

The community aspect of D-III collegiate sports drew him in, he says. His new involvement—and the joy he finds in helping to create a positive atmosphere—might be the beginning of a new career path.

“It was really cool to see how you bring people together to cheer for that one thing, or be there for other people,” he says.

Calderon plays all brass instruments, composes and leads too

Calderon’s musical abilities are what led him to athletics in the first place. In sixth grade, when Calderon walked into the middle school band room, “the director looks right at me, and without me even trying any of the instruments yet, she says, ‘I know you’ll play tuba.’ and I go, ‘okay, that’s fine.’”

Middle school band was such a positive experience that Calderon knew he would continue playing music throughout his life.

He went on to learn all the major brass instruments. During his senior year, Spotswood High School started a pep band, and Calderon fell in love with that format of playing. Attracted to 91��Ƶ because of its values, he was disappointed there was no pep band. During his first semester, he played for James Madison University’s “Marching Royal Dukes.”

Josh Calderon composes most of the music that the pep band plays. The Spotswood High alumnus can plays all the brass instruments. (91��Ƶ file photo)

At 91��Ƶ, he started envisioning a pep band, a concept encouraged by music professor and the . The Royals pep band played at their first 91��Ƶ basketball game in December of 2015, and Calderon discovered an athletic community he wanted to contribute to. He writes almost all the music the pep band performs.

“At the end of the day, when you walk home, your team could have lost. And yet, you’re still joined in this ‘band’ of other people,” he says.

“Both the fans and the athletes enjoy a game more when the 91��Ƶ Pep Band is there, and Josh is a big reason for that, both as the director of the band and as a fan of the game,” says Sports Information Director . “Personally, Josh has unique abilities and an internal drive which have stretched and invigorated me in promoting 91��Ƶ athletics. Simply put, he is a lot of fun to work with.”

Questions always answered by faculty mentors

Faculty and staff support have helped guide many of Calderon’s interests. He recently added a to his , both because “it required me to go out and think in a different way” and the Visual and Communication Arts professors are accessible.

“I can walk up there [to the department suite] at any given time and ask a question, and if they’re not busy, it will be answered. And usually there’s a follow-up question!”

With no time in his schedule for a photography class this semester, Calderon is currently working on a self-directed project about mental illness. He photographed a friend, who is a trained dancer, portraying depression and anxiety through choreography while covered in various colored powders.

Calderon cites similar faculty encouragement as one of the best aspects of the history program. He also has and political science minors.

History plays into Calderon’s strength in research and love of learning. But he doesn’t see himself becoming a historian, or lawyer, or photographer, or band director (at least not professionally). Calderon credits De Boer’s pep band support and personal character for influencing his career aspirations, which are now turned towards sports marketing and communications. He’s also shadowed his girlfriend’s uncle at work, as a youth hockey liaison for the Washington Capitals.

“Just seeing how excited these kids were, just to come play on the ice … it was seeing that that brought me to the idea that I also really enjoy being in these environments,” he says. “There’s a need for happiness, and I think that sometimes, not for everybody, but sometimes sports fills that.”

Our Royal Pride: Luke Mullet, musician, poet, weightlifter, mathematician … and more

Randi B. Hagi — Thu, 20 Apr 2017 15:18:25 +0000

***

Imagine the world

Holding it all

Containing the depths

And skies tall

Small spaces unhinged

Winding our way

Light beckons

Steady feet

Close your eyes

It all will repeat

This poem, Worlds, is more than just a tapestry of evocative words to author Luke Mullet, a sophomore at 91��Ƶ. It is also the inspiration for a corresponding musical composition. While the math major’s poems are esoteric, sometimes cryptic, his compositions are directly emotional, reminiscent of epic movie scores flavored with a Celtic-Tibetan fusion. He has composed electronic music for five years, but his style has recently shifted towards cinematic songs. He uses synthesizers of choirs, orchestras and other ethnic instruments to “create musical imagery and worlds of sound,” he explains.

“I just let everything that I’m holding go, and free flow with the words that come into my mind,” says Mullet. “I would write a poem, read the poem, then compose music.” He is now in an independent study with professor and composer , which has become as much collaboration as instruction.

Keebaugh commissioned Mullet to compose six poems. These have become part of Keebaugh’s new composition written for the Seen/Heard Trio, an American contemporary music trio of a flutist, harpist, and mezzo-soprano singer. The work, titled The Book of Hours, “will alter the layout, structure, and listening experience of what we term as a “concert” setting,” explains Keebaugh. “The six hour work will include Luke’s poems, one for every hour.” The composition premiers this fall in Iowa, with performances to follow in New Mexico and Richmond, Virginia.

Mullet, who also sings in the choir , is nothing if not well-rounded. His activities range from the right-brained arts to weight lifting to left-brained math to philosophy.

“What makes me, me? I think it’s a reflection of all of these things as a whole,” he says.

“He’s quite the Renaissance man,” says Keebaugh.

Luke Mullet: “Quite the Rennaissance man,” says music professor Ryan Keebaugh, who commissioned poetry from the sophomore and has worked with him on an independent study project this summer.

Mullet has also been helping professor to edit a peer-reviewed article about mathematical selection bias in statistics, and create an answer key for a high school math textbook. Like many musically-minded people, Mullet has always a knack for math, but is now interested in the more abstract facets of the field. His enjoyment of proof-based math, which deals more with logic than calculations, has led him to take several philosophy courses.

He is one of several students who are trying to revitalize the math club, and is a senator in the Student Government Association. After all these intellectual, sedentary pursuits, Mullet turns to weight lifting for fitness and focus.

“It’s just a great outlet that’s different from math, music, philosophy, and anything else that I’m engaged with,” says Mullet. “It’s kind of a way to be mindful, or be more engaged with your body.”

Last spring, he helped sophomore Matt Holden start the Royals Lifting Club, which disseminates weight lifting information, promotes camaraderie and inclusiveness and meets in the fitness center for lifting competitions. Between 20 and 30 people attend their events.

What’s next? After applying for math internships and assisting the Weather Vane with their year-in-review extended issue, Mullet will spend a week at ��ѱ�’s Student Kairos Place, a mountain retreat for undergraduate writers and artists. There, he will immerse himself in a poetry and composition project.

Says Mullet, “I’ve found music to become a really valuable part of who I am.”

Keebaugh earns Raabe Prize honorable mention for a cappella composition

Lauren Jefferson — Mon, 20 Feb 2017 14:27:26 +0000

, assistant professor of music at 91��Ƶ, is one of three winners in the 2017 .

Seventy-eight entrants competed for the prize, offered every two years by The Association of Lutheran Church Musicians. Among other guidelines, “preference is given to those entries which grow out of but are not necessarily restricted to, the worshiping assembly of the baptized who gather around Word and Sacrament.”

Keebaugh won honorable mention for his a cappella composition “,” a meditative tableau on the text of Isaiah 53.

Honorable mention was also given to Thomas Keesecker of Bel Air, Maryland.

Erik Meyer won the $2,000 prize, which is split between the composer and a musical or ecclesiastical organization of the composer’s choice. Meyer, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is music director at the Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, where he oversees a large choral and instrumental program.

Keebaugh counts this award among the top three of his career, including being a semi-finalist for the American Prize in 2013 and a finalist in the international in 2015.

Since the announcement, five people have inquired about performing the work. Among them was a representative from , a Los Angeles group which specializes in performing quality new choral works.

“It’s an honor to receive an honorable mention in this contest, which received so many entries,” Keebaugh said. “It was very competitive and I received some beautiful feedback, which I certainly appreciated.”

The selection committee, headed by Dr. Zebulon Highben of Muskingum University, called the work “dense … setting a theologically rich text with tone clusters and long unaccompanied lines in a style that evokes the holy minimalism of Tavener and Pärt. Though it is more difficult than the other two selections, and requires a vocal stamina that would put it beyond the reach of many choirs, it stands clearly in the ‘high art’ stream of the Lutheran musical tradition and is worthy of inclusion as an honorable mention.”

“Ryan is becoming recognized as one of a few leading young American composers,” said Professor , chair of the 91��Ƶ . “His music has a mystical quality that appeals to both performers and audience members alike. We are fortunate to have him on faculty. He is having a positive influence on the next generation of composers who are being ‘grown’ in our backyard.”

“The Suffering Servant” premiered in August 2012, performed by the Bridgewater College Alumni Choir, and has subsequently been performed and recorded by the University of South Florida Chamber Singers and the Western Michigan University Chorale.

Emulate ensemble brings ‘Prayer’ to Williamsburg, Newport News and Richmond

Lauren Jefferson — Tue, 14 Feb 2017 17:06:20 +0000

Emulate Chamber Ensemble, from 91��Ƶ, will perform in Williamsburg, Newport News and Richmond during their second annual spring break tour March 5-6, 2017. Emulate will present a program titled “Prayer.”

Program notes provide this description: “With love for all God’s people as modeled by Jesus Christ, and with respect for many expressions of faith and religion, the Emulate Chamber Ensemble delivers a candid and diverse music program. It includes early and contemporary repertoires that invite audiences and performers alike to consider the necessary intimacy and selflessness of��Prayer��by humbly paying attention to God.”:

“No matter what your religion or your faith background, prayer binds us all together in its divine presence,” said choral director , professor of music.

The group specializes in jazz, modern and contemporary concert literature, both secular and sacred.

Emulate will perform Sunday, March 5, at 10:45 at Williamsburg Mennonite Church in Williamsburg, and that evening at 7 p.m. at Warwick River Mennonite Church in Newport News.

On Monday, March 6, at 7 p.m., the group performs at First Mennonite Church of Richmond.

Keebaugh says he developed the theme about a year ago while thinking about “turbulence and troubles between people.”

“I asked each member to learn and memorize a prayer in a different language,” he said. “Because of ��ѱ�’s emphasis on and because of their various backgrounds, these singers all have strong experiences living within other cultures. It wasn’t just an exercise. The students were enthused because they had such personal connections with the language and expression of faith.”

For example, members who traveled on cross-cultural semesters in Lithuania, or on a summer cross-cultural to the Navajo Nation, are each bringing prayers in those specific languages.

The program will be presented at 91��Ƶ on April 11 at 7 p.m. in Martin Chapel.

Emulate’s members include:

Brooke Bevington, of Grottoes, Virginia;
Jon Bishop, Blooming Glen, Pennsylvania;
Clara Bush, Souderton, Pennsylvania;
Brandon Chupp, Canby, Oregon;
Abigail Greaser, Goshen, Indiana;
Joseph Harder, Bridgewater, Virginia;
Rachel Holderman, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania;
Michaela Mast, Broadway, Virginia;
Sylvia Mast, Broadway, Virginia;
Luke Mullet, Berlin, Ohio;
Lorren Oesch, Caldwell, Idaho;
Sarah Regan, Sugarcreek, Ohio;
Emma Roth, Goshen, Indiana;
Eli Wenger, Broadway, Virginia;
Leah Wenger, Broadway, Virginia;
Ben Zook, Canton, Ohio.

Emulate prelude at National Cathedral pairs with homily calling for Kingdom work on climate change

91��Ƶ communications staff — Mon, 28 Nov 2016 21:35:41 +0000

When Emulate, 91��Ƶ’s traveling choral ensemble, was to sing the prelude for the Evensong service on Sunday, Nov. 20, at the National Cathedral in Washington D.C., they had no idea their ringing sounds would pair so meaningfully with the words of homilist The Rev. Andrew K. Barnett.

Barnett, the cathedral’s associate for music and worship, spoke about climate change. “On a hot and crowded planet, we can no longer talk responsibly of loving our neighbor until we fight with all we have for stable climate and just society,” he said in his homily. “In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells all the gathered nations, ‘I was hungry, thirsty, a stranger, and sick.’ Dear friends in Christ, climate change affects every single one of those issues.”

Barnett is uniquely qualified on the topic: a jazz musician, he earned degrees in music and environmental studies at Oberlin, and then master’s degrees from Yale Environmental School and Berkeley Divinity School at Yale. He researched and wrote for the Presidential Climate Action Project and has served on the Episcopal delegation to the UN climate summits in France and Morocco.

Emulate performed seven pieces, to the delight of regular worshipers, tourists, and about 30 91��Ƶ alumni, parents and administrators who joined the event.

Among their offerings (click on the link to watch and listen) were: , byames MacMillan; O Nata Lux��Thomas Tallis; Lux Aurumque, by Eric Whitacre; Holy is the True Light, by William Harris; by John Tavener and Fredrik Sixten, respectively; and , by Paul Christiansen.

“It’s a valuable experience to sing and perform at one of our nation’s greatest treasures,” said director , professor of music. “Also, it gives the choir an opportunity to serve, lead and represent 91��Ƶ as a valued part of the National Cathedral’s music ministry.”

Ensemble members said they enjoyed performing in the vast space of the cathedral, which amplified both sound and sacred words.

“I’d never had the opportunity to sing in a cathedral or take part in an Evensong service. It was an amazing experience,” said Brandon Chupp, a sophomore computer science��major from Canby, Ore.

Emulate’s singers are chosen by in the fall. The group includes and non-music majors from five states. Three pairs of siblings sing in the group.

Members include Brooke Bevington, of Grottoes, Virginia; Jonathan Bishop, Blooming Glen, Pennsylvania; Megan Bishop, Blooming Glen, Pennsylvania; Perry Blosser, Harrisonburg, Virginia; Clara Bush, Souderton, Pennsylvania; Brandon Chupp. Canby, Oregon; Rachel Holderman, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania; Michaela Mast, Broadway, Virginia; Sylvia Mast, Broadway, Virginia; Jacob Rhine, Indianapolis, Indiana; Emma Roth, Goshen, Indiana; Caleb Schrock-Hurst, Harrisonburg, Virginia; Andry Stutzman, Harrisonburg, Virginia; Eli Wenger, Broadway, Virginia; Leah Wenger, Broadway, Virginia; and Ben Zook, Canton, Ohio.

Upcoming performances

Emulate will also perform a candlelight concert on Saturday, Dec. 3, 8 p.m, at the Bruton Parish Church in Williamsburg, Virginia followed by a concert on Thursday, Dec. 8, 7 p.m., at Park View Mennonite Church in Harrisonburg.