Morningside College vocal ensembles to present concert

The Morningside College Music Department will present “Songs of Heritage and Faith,” a concert featuring the college’s Bel Canto Singers, Eclectix vocal jazz ensemble, Singing Men of Morningside, and college choir on Tuesday, March 11, at 7:30 p.m. in Eppley Auditorium, 3625 Garretson Avenue.

The Singing Men of Morningside will be joined on stage by The Abu Bekr Shrine Temple Chanters.

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

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 and the Singing Men of Morningside.

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.

Several Morningside soloists will be featured during their performance. Angela Nicodemus, a senior from Aurelia, Iowa; Amy Salton, a senior from Webb, Iowa; and Hillary Utman, a junior from Modale, Iowa; will be soloists when the Eclectix performs the Chicago pop hit “25 or 6 to 4.” Geana Schneider, a junior from Merrill, Iowa, will be a soloist during a performance of “Autumn Leaves,” while Brandon Shostak, a senior from Le Mars, Iowa, and Daniel Goodding, a junior from Des Moines, Iowa, will be soloists during a performance of “Helmet.”

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.

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.

Watson, who came to Morningside in 2003, was previously a vocal music instructor at Le Mars Community Schools in Iowa, 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.