Asbury College Vocal Arts

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1 SELECTED COMING EVENTS COMING EVENTS ***All events open to the CH Chorale public MGC without Men s Glee charge Club unless VOC asterisks Vocal Recital used to indicate WC Women s a ticketed Choir event å (For complete concert list, please check ß ß CH Homecoming Concert 10/3/08 7:00pm HU MGC, WC Ensemble Concert 10/4/08 11:00am AK Asbury College Vocal Arts News of Asbury College Choral & Vocal Activities Summer 2008 The newsletters are available to download or view at o track calendar updates for concerts/recitals, check the web at Asbury College Men s Glee Club Spring Tour -- Kentucky, Alabama and Georgia VOC Vocal Honors Audition Recital 11/13/08 11:00am AK Laura Hogue, Lauren Brothers 12/8/08 CH, MGC, WC Messiah 12/14/08 3:00pm HU OPERA Too Many Sopranos 1/22-24/09 AK (ticketed event) CH Master Concert Series 2/12/09 3:30pm Wesley Village Rebecca Teague 2/12/09 Ellen Adkison 2/19/09 VOC Junior/Senior Recital Noelle Gast, Sarah Matthews 3/12/09 Megan Parker 4/6/09 More Choral Concert Dates for the Spring Semester will appear in the Winter Newsletter! Under the direction of Mark Schell, the Asbury College Men s Glee Club had a rich and rewarding year, including a long-weekend Spring Tour with the Handbell Choir giving concerts in Kentucky, Alabama and Georgia. The group had 21 members both semesters and was accompanied by Emma Swayne. Performance opportunities for the year included four chapels, five campus concerts, two local off-campus concerts and the four-day Spring Tour. The ensemble was able to perform literature from many different genres and had a great time doing it! The Men s Glee Club would like to heartily encourage its former members to join them for the next Men s Glee Club Alumni Reunion June 25-28, Professor Virginia Bowles Retires; Will Continue Teaching Part-time Dr. Vicki Bell spoke these words of tribute on behalf of students, faculty & staff at the April 24 th concert: On occasion, you find a music professor who excels in all of the critical areas. For example, this person is a consummate performer, a dedicated teacher who instills knowledge and confidence in young performers, and is a tireless promoter of the art of music. When you find a music professor who exemplifies all of the above, you should count yourself blessed to be in her presence, and that s how the Asbury College students and music faculty feel about Prof. Virginia Bowles. Tonight is Ginny s final performance as a full-time member of the Asbury College music faculty....join me in thanking Ginny for her years of service to the Asbury community! The Music Department is blessed that Prof. Bowles will continue as P/T Instructor of Voice and as Sponsor for the Student Chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing.

2 The Women s Choir was also featured in the March 31 st senior recital of composition major Anna Sperger, where they performed an original four-part song for women s voices entitled, Count That Day. The final concert of the year was a Pops Concert on April 28, 2008 in Hughes Auditorium, followed the next day by a term-end celebration at Prof. Bowles house.

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4 Page 4 of 4 Asbury Vocal Arts Newsletter The New Asbury Chorale As part of a Music Department restructuring, the primary auditioned, SATB vocal ensemble beginning in the fall semester will be called the Asbury Chorale. Though ensembles have changed names over the years, research has shown that the name Chorale may be the most long-standing of the names used for SATB ensembles at the college, with at least a half-century history. We look forward to sharing the successes of the new Asbury Chorale! Dr. Vicki Bell will conduct the Chorale and Dr. Beatrice Holz will be director of the Women s Choir. Asbury Opera 2008 Hansel and Gretel A cast of twenty-four students presented Englebert Humperdinck s opera Hansel and Gretel in a performance for Wilmore Elementary School students and in two public performances on the Asbury campus January 31-February 2, The Musical Director was Dr. Beatrice Holz, Stage Director was Professor Jeff Day, Orchestra Conductor was Dr. Ronald Holz, and Chorus Director was Professor Virginia Bowles. Sarah Matthews ( 09) directed and designed the interpretive dance ending Act II of this three-act opera. Featured in the leading roles of Hansel and Gretel were upperclassmen Kristin Reynolds ( 08) and Megan Parker ( 09). Kristin has been awarded an assistantship at the University of Kentucky and will pursue a Master s Degree in Choral Conducting. Megan is studying this summer in the opera performance program at the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria. Asbury s next opera workshop production will be the recently composed opera Too Many Sopranos, by composer Edwin Penhorwood of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Public performances will take place in Akers Auditorium at 7:30pm on the evenings of Thursday through Saturday, January 22-24, Too Many Sopranos is a comic opera in two acts that depicts four Divas who arrive in heaven only to learn that there is not enough room for all of them in the Heavenly Chorus. They are given a task by Saint Peter to descend into Hell and try to perform the redemptive acts that will enable them to rescue the tenors and basses who are needed to balance the choir. Cast auditions were held in the spring term for the 13 performers 4 sopranos, 1 mezzo-soprano, 2 tenors, 3 basses, a speaking role, and 2 mute actors. Asbury is indebted to the Pauls Foundation of Chicago (David J. Valkema 88, Executive Director) for the generous grants that have made possible our annual opera productions. As one opera participant wrote on their class evaluation, The fact that we can even do opera at Asbury especially with an orchestra is an amazing and wonderful thing. We are indebted to the Paul s Foundation for bringing opera to our campus/community!

5 Asbury College Vocal Arts News Music Department 1 Macklem Drive Wilmore, KY PHONE: ext.2250 Alumni News... Dr. Jennifer Phillips Campbell ( 98) recently accepted a tenure-track position in music history, literature, and theory at Central Michigan University. Jenny and Tim ( 99), who is pursuing his doctorate in Higher Education Administration at Michigan State University in Lansing, are expecting their first child in September. This photo was taken in June when Ron & Bea Holz had the privilege of visiting the Campbells at their home in Mount Pleasant MI. FAX: US AT: bholz@ mark.schell@ vicki.bell@ Daniel Privette ( 00) completed the Masters Degree in Music Education from UNC-Greensboro in Fall of Daniel has taught for 7 years, the past 4 years as Chorus and Musical Theatre Director at Graham Middle School in North Carolina. He has also just been hired as the new director for the Alamance Chorale, a choral ensemble of current and retired music teachers as well as other community members. Daniel s wife, Emily ( 00), works at Duke University Cancer Center. Their son, Samuel Luke, will be two in August. Daniel says that one of his dreams is one day to return and to teach at Asbury College! virginia.bowles@ Visit the Music Department s website at: majors/music then use the navigating tools in the left-hand column... To check on updates to the Asbury College calendar, visit then use the navigating tools in the right-hand column to change from the daily page to weekly or monthly views International Choral Opportunity... Reverend Jason S. Wise ( 00) has recently accepted the position as pastor of Newsoms Baptist Church in the southeastern part of Virginia, about an hour west of the Norfolk/Virginia Beach area. Following his graduation from Asbury, Jason also received the degrees of M.Div. and M.Mus. (2004) from the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, TX. Jason and his wife, Chellie, have a three-year-old son named Joshua Enoch. Jay Wisler ( 03), seen here at Kentucky Mountain Bible College, is pursuing a Master s degree in Vocal Performance at Morehead State University and has recently been appointed to head up a new Church Music program at KMBC. Jay and his wife, Amber, are the proud parents of three children. Enoch Jacobus ( 06) was awarded an assistantship in music theory at the University of Kentucky and will begin doctoral studies at UK in the fall semester. Shannon Todd ( 08) was awarded an assistantship in musicology at the University of Louisville, h dd ( ) d d h l where she plans to pursue a Master s degree in musicology. Kristin Reynolds ( 08) has been awarded an assistantship at the University of Kentucky and will pursue a Master s Degree in Choral Conducting. Alumni of the Collegium Musicum Vocal Ensemble, as well as members of the Asbury Chorale, have been invited to combine forces to serve as resident choir at Gloucester Cathedral in May of Gloucester cathedral ( is situated in southwest England. In addition to its cathedral residency, the choir has also been selected to perform in Bath Abbey during the prestigious Bath Festival ( on Saturday, May 30, Current singers as well as alumni of the ensemble are invited to participate in this performance tour. For further information, please contact Dr. Vicki Bell (vicki.bell@). ALUMNI SEND US AN UPDATE! WE LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU1