Oct. 13, 2008

Morningside College Music Department to present concert on Oct. 26

The Morningside College Music Department will present “Ye Shall Have A Song,” a concert featuring the Morningside College Choir and several of the department’s vocal ensembles, on Sunday, Oct. 26, at 3 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).

Robin Venaas, a Morningside adjunct faculty member from Le Mars, Iowa, will perform a flute solo when the Bel Canto Singers perform a Tina Bull arrangement of the traditional Irish folk song “Quare Bungle Rye.” Cellist Joe Shufro, associate professor of music at Morningside, will be a soloist when the Bel Canto Singers perform a John Purifoy arrangement of the traditional folk song “Turtle Dove.”

The Bel Canto Singers, a choir comprised of female Morningside College students, is directed by Jill Wilson, visiting instructor of music.

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 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 toured in China this past 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 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. She currently directs the chancel choir at First Presbyterian Church in Sioux City and serves as the women’s choir repertoire and standards chair for the Iowa Choral Directors Association.