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Feb. 26, 2009
The Morningside College Music Department will present a spring choral concert featuring the Morningside College Choir and several of the department’s vocal ensembles, on Sunday, March 15, at 7:30 p.m. in Eppley Auditorium, 3625 Garretson Avenue.
The ensembles that are scheduled to perform include the Bel Canto Singers, the Eclectix Vocal Jazz Ensemble, and the Singing Men of Morningside.
The public is invited to the free event, which is sponsored by Morningside’s Academic and Cultural Arts Series (ACAS).
The Morningside College Choir and the jazz ensemble will perform part of the program from the choir’s 2009 10-date tour in February and March that included performances in Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, California, and Utah. The choir’s concert tour program included songs such as “Gloria” from “Miss Kenya” by Paul Basler; “Bogorodiste Devo” by Sergei Rachmaninoff; and “Ezekiel Saw de Wheel” arranged by William L. Dawson. The repertoire of the Eclectix ranges from “Scarborough Fair” arranged by Kerry Marsh to “The Druid Song” by Bob Greene.
Megan Beery, a senior from Shenandoah, Iowa, will serve as a student conductor on one of the pieces performed by the Bel Canto Singers, while Elizabeth Lippke, a freshman from Sioux City; and Chihiro Ogawa, a junior from Niigata, Japan, will serve as accompanists.
Tim Watson, 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 Bel Canto Singers, a choir comprised of female Morningside College students, is directed by Jill Wilson, visiting instructor of music education.
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 toured in China in May 2008 and performed in Beijing and Shanghai.
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.
Watson, who came to Morningside in 2003, 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 third 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.
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