Music department to present choral collage concert

The Morningside College Music Department will present a choral collage concert featuring the college’s Bel Canto Singers, Eclectix jazz choir, Singing Men of Morningside, and the Morningside College Choir on Sunday, April 20, at 7 p.m. in Eppley Auditorium, 3625 Garretson Avenue.

The public is invited to the free event, which is sponsored by Morningside’s Academic and Cultural Arts Series (ACAS).

Austin Ray, a senior from Sioux City, will perform a baritone solo when the Singing Men of Morningside perform a Michael Levi arrangement of “The Mermaid” and will provide piano accompaniment when the Bel Canto Singers perform J.S. Bach’s “Suscepit Israel.”

Bassist Nicholas McGraw, a junior from Sioux City, will be a soloist when the Singing Men of Morningside perform a Randall McGill arrangement of “Barbara Allen.”

Bassist Joshua Phipps, a junior from Larchwood, Iowa; and soprano Katie Gorden, a sophomore from Le Mars, Iowa, will be soloists when the College Choir performs a James Erb arrangement of “Lagan Love.”

The Bel Canto Singers, a choir comprised of female Morningside College students, is directed by Jill Wilson, director of the Leo Kucinski Academy of Music.

Tim Watson, assistant professor of music and director of choral activities at Morningside, is the director of the Eclectix vocal jazz ensemble, the Singing Men of Morningside, and the College Choir.

The Eclectix, established in 1996, is a highly selective performing group that sings an “eclectic mix” of musical styles. Jazz, pop, show tunes, and a cappella arrangements form their core repertoire. They have been featured on public radio broadcasts and at informal parties and gatherings throughout the Siouxland Community.

The Singing Men of Morningside, founded in 1997, is an all-male chorus consisting of students from a variety of majors and disciplines on the Morningside campus. They specialize in performing music from the “Morningside College Songbook” and frequently perform the national anthem at sporting events throughout Siouxland.

The Morningside College Choir has been in existence for over 100 years. Annual tours have taken the choir across the United States and to many of the famed concert halls and cathedrals of Europe. In May of 2000, the choir toured Spain, France, and England, and presented the United Kingdom premiere of Eleanor Daley’s “Requiem” at the Chard Festival in Chard, England. The choir returned to Europe in May 2005 with concert appearances in the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Austria. The choir will tour in China this May.

Watson, who came to Morningside in 2003, was previously a vocal music instructor at Le Mars Community Schools, where he also served in an administrative position as music coordinator of the school district’s music department. Watson holds a master of music degree in vocal performance from the University of South Dakota and a bachelor of arts degree in music education with an emphasis in vocal from Luther College, Decorah, Iowa.

Wilson, in her second year at Morningside, earned a bachelor of music degree in music education with a choral emphasis from St. Olaf College in Minnesota and a master of music education degree from the University of Northern Iowa. She currently directs the youth choirs at Augustana Lutheran Church and serves as the women’s choir repertoire and standards chair for the Iowa Choral Directors Association.