“Interlude,” a 14-voice choir comprised of current 91短视频 students and recent graduates.

Concerts by choral groups occur regularly on the 91短视频 campus, but this one will be a bit different.

“Interlude,” a 14-voice choir comprised of current 91短视频 students and recent graduates, will present a concert of choral favorites on Wednesday, Apr. 28. But this will be the group’s only performance, and the program is dedicated to the memory of a fallen 91短视频 alumnus.

Admission to the concert, at 7 p.m. in Martin Chapel of the seminary building, is by donation, with all proceeds going to the Matthew Garber Endowed Scholarship Fund at 91短视频.

Garber: student leader, musician

Garber, 22, a well-loved student leader, musician, and 2008 nursing graduate from Elizabethtown, Pa., was known for his strong faith, musicianship and good sense of humor.

He drowned on July 1, 2008 while on a missions trip in Costa Rica. Garber was planning to begin work as an emergency room nurse at Lancaster (PA) General Hospital the end of that summer.

91短视频 the concert

The group will be perform a wide variety of choral music from Rachmaninoff, Lauridsen and several African pieces to selections from a group from Finland called Rajaton. A member described the program as “kind of a ‘greatest hits’ of collective favorites from past choral experiences.”

“We just had a group of people who loved singing and wanted to do it together on a regular basis,” said choir member Katie Derstine.

“But in choosing music and during early rehearsals, Matt (Garber) kept coming to mind. Several of us talked about how pieces reminded us of him and how much he would have enjoyed participating in this project. Turning the concert into a benefit seemed a good way to focus our energy and give a more tangible purpose to what we were doing,” she added.

For more information on the program, contact Katie Derstine at 540-432-4110; email: katherine.derstine@emu.edu.

The program will feature singers and musicians from around the world who were contestants in American Idol-type competitions in their home countries and have formed an outstanding international worship band.

Appearing at the 91短视频 program are: Harry Mantong, 2005 Indonesian Idol finalist; Joanna Beasley, 2003 American Idol semi-finalist; Hellen Mtawali, 2005 Kenyan Music Festival finalist; and Micky Jakarimilena, 2004 Indonesian Idol finalist.

“The primary purposes of the ‘Beyond Idols’ tour is to exalt the name of Jesus and to raise awareness of the 1.9 billion people around the world who have never heard the Good News,” said Brian Martin Burkholder, 91短视频 campus pastor. “Tour members also desire to serve local communities by providing a time of worship and wholesome music entertainment,” he added.

Admission to the program is free; a collection will be taken in support of an ongoing faith-based relief effort in Haiti.

For more information, go to .

91短视频 “Cantemus” ensemble; James Richardson, director Photo by Katie Landis

The 12-member ensemble will provide special music and the offertory during the 9 a.m. service at Bay Shore Mennonite Church, 3809 Chapel Drive, Sarasota, and lead worship in music at 11:30 a.m. at Newtown Gospel Chapel, 1815 Gillespie Ave., in a joint service with the Covenant Mennonite Fellowship.

Cantemus (Latin for “Let Us Sing”), directed by James K. Richardson, assistant professor of music at 91短视频, will sing selections based on the theme, will perform “Christian Journey: From Darkness Into Light.” Their eclectic repertoire features a variety of genres, languages, and cultures from the 16th century to the present including Latin motets, African songs, a Colombian dance, Mozart madrigal, and contemporary works. The selections explore God’s transcendence, the issue of sin, Christ’s saving work, the Holy Spirit in the lives of His people, and eternity in Heaven.

The choir members are: Heidi Bauman, Sassamansville, Pa.; Janelle Dean, Harrisonburg; Ingrid Johnson, Greeneville, Tenn.; Joshua Kanagy, Timberville, Va.; Steve Kniss, Harrisonburg; Jasmine Martin, New Holland, Pa.; Phillip Martin, Mt. Joy, Pa.; Daniel Miller, Broadway, Va.; Selah Shenk, Newport News, Va.; Meg Smeltzer, Harrisonburg; James Souder, Harrisonburg; and Mitchell Stutzman, Middlebury, Ind.

Richardson teaches voice, vocal pedagogy, appreciating music making and listening to film and directs 91短视频’s ChoirWithoutBorders. A baritone, he earned his master of music degree from The Peabody Conservatory of Music of The Johns Hopkins University.

The ensemble will also sing at 10:13 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. Monday, Mar. 8 for high school and middle school students at Sarasota Christian School, at 6 p.m. that day at Sunnyside Village, 5201 Bahia Vista St., and 6 p.m. Tuesday, Mar. 9, at a donor appreciation banquet at Sunnyside Village.

For more information on the Bay Shore appearance, contact Lee Miller, 377-4041, or Randy Spaulding,366-3545, or Walter Crawford, 951-6967, on the Newton Gospel Chapel program.

Forty-eight members of the celebrated Shenandoah Valley Children’s Choir (SVCC), their director, Julia White and 36 adult chaperones and companion travelers will participate in the Pacific Rim Children’s Chorus Festival being held July 13-23 in Honolulu, Hawaii.

The Pacific Rim Festival is designed to provide treble children’s choirs, grades 6 through 12, an opportunity to experience the cultures of the Pacific Rim countries through their choral music repertoire in an interactive, non-competitive, creative environment.

Choristers (l. to r.) Ellie Weaver, Stephanie Kozel, Emma Potter, and Kelsey Landes enjoy the SVCC’s 2005 trip to the Pacific Rim Festival.

The SVCC has held six practices this spring and will rehearse again nightly July 7-10 before leaving for the trip July 13. They will sing selections from many countries, including Japan, Philippines, Korea, Canada, Colombia, China, Samoa, New Zealand, Mexico, and the US, including Hawaii.

“Many choir members have worked really hard, doing jobs and saving money to go,” Ms. White said. “Some have never flown before, so that will be an adventure in itself, and singing 14 songs from memory in nine different languages is no small feat.”

In addition to performing at two major Hawaii concert venues with 12 children’s choirs (around 400 choristers) from the US and Canada, SVCC members will learn Polynesian dances with native instructors, practice text and language with native speakers, observe ethnic music and dance performances of Pacific Rim culture, and make indigenous instruments at the Polynesian Culture Center.

“This is such a stretching experience for our children, and friendship and cooperation are at the center of all of the activities,” White said. “We look forward to sharing our music and what we have learned with our home audience in August.”

The SVCC will present a concert 7 p.m. Aug. 14 in 91短视频’s Lehman Auditorium featuring the songs and dances in costume that they perform at the festival. Hawaiian decorations will grace the stage, and a reception will follow. The program is open to the community and tickets will be available at the door – adults $12, seniors and students $10, children 12 and under $7.

‘Hahna’ members are (l. to r.): Joshua Dean, Lena Risser, Eojin Lee and Ben Bergey. Photo by Jim Bishop

“Hahna” is a Korean word meaning “an all-encompassing unity.”

The four-member group will be at Sonnenberg Mennonite Church, Kidron, Ohio, 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15; Columbus (Ohio) Mennonite Church 9:30 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 16; and at Pinto (MD) Mennonite Church 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 16.

Members are Joshua Dean, a senior business major from Harrisonburg; Eojin Lee, a church music major from Daejeon, South Korea; Lena Risser, a senior vocal performance major from Greencastle, Pa., and Benjamin Bergey, a sophomore music performance and church music major from Perkasie, Pa.

Three 91短视频 faculty members will assist “Hahna” on the program – James Richardson, assistant professor of music; Lynne Mackey, associate professor of music; and Joan Griffing, professor of music.

The ensemble’s program will center around a theme of “love” – of friends, romantic love, music and God. They will sing hymns, Broadway tunes and classical selections, both acapella and with instrumental accompaniment on violin, viola and octave violin.

The program is open to the public. A free-will offering will be taken to help support Hahna’s program tour being planned for South Korea next summer.