The Voices-n-Harmony Gospel Choir sang a concert for Martin Luther King Day this year. Photo by Jodi Beyeler/PR Office.

Daniel Martin
Contributing Writer

On Friday, Voices-n-Harmony, Goshen College’s gospel choir, will present a benefit concert, the debut of their new director, Ron Bishop.

The performance will be in Sauder Concert Hall at 7:30 p.m on Friday.

A portion of the benefit proceeds will go to the Patrice Penny-Henderson Medical Fund. Penny-Henderson, the former director of Voices-n-Harmony, is currently experiencing medical troubles that have prevented her from leading the choir.

Voices-n-Harmony is not only made up of Goshen students, but also faculty, staff and community members who sing to pronounce their love for God. Bishop, the new director, is an ordained minister and member at Faith Apostolic Praise and Worship Center in South Bend. He has lead many choirs and has been featured on a number of musical recordings.

The choir will be accompanied by the Judah First Chorale and a full band. The Judah First Chorale is a diverse group of 13 singers that has been performing since 1995.

Tickets for the concert on Friday will be sold at the Music Center one hour before the event. Goshen College students are free with valid ID. Other tickets cost $7 for adults and $5 for seniors and students.

Peter Shickele is one of the performers for the next season of the Music Center's Performing Art's Series. Photo courtesy of Public Relations.

When the audience rises for its customary ovation on March 30, 2010, it will conclude a 2009-2010 Performing Arts Series featuring the most prestigious lineup of artists the series has ever seen.

Sauder Concert Hall has been attracting top international recording artists with its world-class acoustics ever since its 2002 opening, but it has never seen such the star-studded lineup as the one announced on Tuesday.

The slated group of performers has combined to receive over 30 Grammy awards. Seven of the eight total acts have been honored, many of them on multiple occasions.

The season will begin on September 19 with Doc Severinsen and El Ritmo de la Vida. Severinsen, best known as the former bandleader for “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson,” will present a mix of traditional Spanish music and jazz with the Ritmo trio.

Legendary banjo player Bela Fleck will headline the second concert of the year on October 16, playing alongside string bass virtuoso Edgar Meyer and Zakir Hussain, one of the world’s most recognized percussionists, on the Indian tabla drum.

For the first time in Performing Arts Series history, a recognized rock ‘n’ roll act will heat up the Sauder stage when Los Lobos comes to town on November 21.

A cure for the long winter blues will never be far away in 2010. The concert series will only be halfway through when Peter Schickele, best known for creating the comedic character P.D.Q. Bach, entertains the crowd on January 24.

February will bring bluegrass legends Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys, recently of “O Brother, Where Art Thou” fame, to Sauder Concert Hall, on February 5, followed by the Julliard String Quartet, who the Los Angeles Times called “the standard by which all other quartets must be judged,” on February 19.

Irish music extraordinaires, The Chieftains, are slated to play on March 5, and the season will conclude on March 30 with the African Children’s Choir, a group of needy children selected from across the continent to perform around the world together.

Season tickets, which begin at $115 for the basic six-show plan, go on sale to the public on April 27. Any remaining individual concert tickets will go on sale in August. Tickets can be reserved by mail, phone or fax as well as by visiting the Welcome Center located in the Union lobby.

Tami Jantzi, Andrew Landis and Kaleem Kheshgi will give their senior music recitals in Rieth Recital Hall before this academic year comes to a close.

Jantzi, a mezzo-soprano and continuing education student, will perform a program entitled “Angels and Sinners” at 9:00 p.m. on Friday. The recital will feature works by composers Robert Schumann and William Bolcom.

These works, Jantzi said, “highlight the conflicting facets of female passions.”

Although currently completing her music degree at Goshen College, Jantzi is a professional vocalist based in Germany. She has collaborated with world-renowned conductors such as Daniel Barenboim and Christoph Eschenbach, and regularly performs in the United States and in Europe.

Andrew Landis, a senior music major, will perform his recital in voice at 7:30 p.m. on May 1. Landis, a tenor, will present works by Monteverdi, Mozart and Aaron Copland.

The pieces by Monteverdi are taken from his 1607 opera “Orfeo.” The work, based on the Greek myth of Orpheus, is one of the earliest operas ever composed.

Performing with Landis on the recital are Peter Miller, cello; Ben Hoover, tenor; Emily Swora, soprano; and Christine Seitz, harpsichord and piano.

The next day, on May 2, Kaleem Kheshgi, a senior music major, will present his senior recital in flute at 4:00 p.m.

Kheshgi will perform works by Bach, Poulenc and Hindemith, as well as two jazz pieces by Art Maxwell and Stanley Turrentine that will feature Rafael Chavez, a senior, on guitar.

Kheshgi described Turrentine’s “Sugar” as one of his favorites. “It can be played either in a very simple harmonic way,” Kheshgi said, “or a very complex chromatic harmonic way, and both sound cool.”

This summer marks 16 years that Kheshgi has been playing the flute. He will perform using an instrument built by Tom Green, who lives near Goshen and whom Kheshgi hopes can attend his recital.

All three recitals are free and open to the public.

Photo courtesy of Public Relations.

Audience members for the final Performing Arts Series concert of the year shouldn’t get too comfortable in their seats.

The main event on Tuesday, Poncho Sanchez and his Latin Jazz band, is sure to have the crowd moving with their Afro-Cuban salsa beats. The evening will also include the highly-anticipated announcement of next year’s Performing Arts Series lineup.

Next year’s cast will feature more combined Grammy awards than any previous lineup in the prestigious series, which has included musicians such as Wynton Marsalis, Dave Brubeck and Bobby McFerrin.

Sanchez – a Grammy award winner for Best Latin Jazz Album in 2000 – is one of the most recognized congueros (conga drum players) in the world.  He will be joined by seven other musicians incorporating bass, bongos, saxophone, flute, trumpet, trombone and many other jazz instruments with Sanchez’s percussion and vocal stylings.

The concert on Tuesday will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Sauder Concert Hall. Tickets, starting at $20, are available by phone at 574-535-7566; online by e-mailing welcomecenter@goshen.edu; or by visiting the Welcome Center in the Union.

But don’t expect the same mix of folk-y bluegrass Thile dealt out as one-third of the former band Nickel Creek. As frontman of his new band, The Punch Brothers, Thile is experimenting with genre-blending.

Where Nickel Creek floated along on pleasant melodies and sweet harmonies, Punch Brothers ramp up the speed and challenge listeners with densely arranged, sometimes contradictory instrumentation on songs like “Punch Bowl,” which sounds more inspired by garage rock than the Appalachian Mountains.

“The Blind Leaving The Blind,” the gigantic, four-movement, 40-plus minute composition that makes up the majority of Punch Brothers’ debut album, “Punch,” covers a nearly indescribable expanse of musical styles and emotions.

In concert the band is known to play not only their own original tunes and bluegrass standards, but cover artists ranging from Bach and Mozart to The White Stripes and Radiohead.

Punch Brothers will perform at 7:30 p.m. on April 3. Tickets are still available at all price levels, starting at $15. Choral terrace seating will be available for $12 once all other tickets sell out. Tickets can be purchased from the Welcome Center by calling (574) 535-7566 or e-mailing welcomecenter@goshen.edu.

Lavender Jazz will perform their annual concert this saturday. Photo by Emily Miller/Goshen College PR.

After exploring the realm of international music in the fall and playing strictly world beats, Lavender Jazz will return to their roots of traditional swing jazz on Saturday for a final concert of the year.

The concert is titled “Into Action,” a subtle reminder for the audience to put theirs goals into action during the performance, which will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Sauder Concert Hall. Pieces from composers such as Glenn Miller and Paul Desmond will be featured.

Sonny Carreño, director of the band, hopes the music will make the audience dance in their seats.

“I want people to talk about us when its over and to generate interest,” Carreño said. “I want to create a brand for [Lavendar Jazz], with loyalty, a look and sound that people look forward to experiencing.”

The concert will also feature the three seniors of the band, as it will be their last show with Lavender Jazz. The seniors are Rafael Chavez, guitar; Nathan Grieser, alto saxophone; and Dan Vader, trumpet.

Carreño was Chavez’s first period teacher in eighth grade, and the two hit it off when they discovered they were both fans of the Beatles. When Carreño was unable to find a jazz guitarist on campus six years ago, he asked Chavez to join the band.

“He could play at 14, and he can play at 21,” said Carreño. “He was born to play guitar and has an incredible set of ears.”

For Chavez, being a part of Lavender Jazz has been a learning experience.

“The most important thing I learned is that team work, as well as commitment, are essential for an ensemble to succeed,” Chavez said.

According to Carreño, Grieser, a four year member of the group, has developed the most of any musician.

“Although he doesn’t always say a lot, his playing speaks volumes,” said Carreño.

Grieser especially has a knack for improvisation.

Grieser said, “When you have the tools to create music on the spot, like many of the players in Lavender Jazz will do at the concert during solos, you are able to personalize whatever you are playing, giving it a sound that is distinctively your own.”

When Vader joined during the second semester of his first year at Goshen College, he had almost no experience playing jazz.

“I listened to some Wynton Marsalis, Coltrane and Arturo Sandoval, but I had never played it before,” said Vader. “Lavender Jazz gave me the opportunity to learn an entirely new genre of music.”

Vader’s overall positive attitude stood out the most to Carreño.

“Dan is the guy that every organization needs,” said Carreño. “He will do all the dirty work and is usually the first one at rehearsals and the last to leave.”

A short slideshow and video will be presented at the concert to pay tribute to each senior.

“It will be bittersweet,” said Carreño. “It’s a time to celebrate, but it will be hard to say goodbye.”

Tickets will be available at the door, one hour before the concert. The concert is free for Goshen College students with I.D., $7 for adults and $5 for seniors/students.

Photo by Chase Snyder.

“You, dear listener, are separated from me by a wall of the greatest impenetrability,” Greg Yoder playfully commented as he discussed the difficulties of piano performance. “The only way I can hope to reach you is through my little, black box.”

“I sit on the stage, and I pour myself into the box,” Yoder continued. “I pour in my dreams, my fears, my triumphs and my failures.”

Audiences will have the opportunity to witness such a performance when Yoder presents his senior piano recital on Friday at 7:30 p.m. in Rieth Recital Hall. Yoder feature works by Bach, Chopin, Brahms and Copland.

Yoder, a music education major, chose these pieces mostly based on his respect for and enjoyment of each composition. He also described in the program how he sees them interacting historically in various ways.

The performance on Friday will cap off months of preparation for Yoder, who will formally complete his degree next fall following student teaching.

“Playing the piano is a struggle,” Yoder said. “The piano is a percussion instrument. Sound is produced when the hammer strikes the string. Once the sound has been created, nothing can be done to change it.”

Yoder concludes that “what comes out will never be perfect, but it will be me.”

The recital is free of charge with no tickets required. The performance will last approximately one hour and will be followed by a reception with refreshments.

Reuel and a large cast of special guests, including Kaleem Kheshgi, a senior, and Kimberly Glick, a Goshen College alumna, will take the stage for a final concert on Friday beginning at 7 p.m. at the downtown Goshen Theater.

A special limited edition “Best of JRL” CD will be available only at the concert on a first-come, first-served basis. Each CD case was individually created by Reuel’s friends to mark the occasion.

Kansas Bible Company, a student band, and Wilson’s Reservoir, local independent country act, will open for JRL.

Tickets for the concert are $10, which are currently available at the Electric Brew and will also be sold at the door the night of the event.

Photo contributed.

Projecting feelings of joy, sorrow and reconciliation, Dara Joy Jaworowicz will present works from Monteverdi, Beethoven, Debussy, Wolf and Mozart in her senior recital on Friday. Jaworowicz will also premier an original composition, accompanied on piano by Nathan Swartzendruber, a senior.

The recital is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in Rieth Recital Hall.

“A good portion of the pieces are pretty athletic vocally, and I like to stretch myself,” Jaworowicz said. “On the other hand, it’s very rewarding because it makes performing pieces that aren’t quite so demanding a breeze.”

The atonal characteristics of the Stravinsky piece will provide a contrast in color.

“I don’t know if everyone will like the way they sound,” Jaworowicz said. “But they certainly exemplify the time period they arose out of – the 20th century. I think academically they might interest people.”

Jaworowicz encouraged the audience to listen for the contrasting sounds of three Romantic pieces by Wolf, Tchaikovsky and Schumann.  All three use the same text – a poem by Goethe from his novel “Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship.” The novel is about a hero’s journey of self-realization. The tones in the music range from melancholic, to nostalgic, to despairing, but the text remains the same.

Jaworowicz, a double major in music and Bible and religion, tied the recital together with scripture written in the programs, in order to enhance the audience’s experience. Using the program text as a guide, the audience will encounter joy in story and parable as well as loss and longing.

Beverly Lapp, associate professor of music, will accompany Jaworowicz on the piano for the majority of the performance. Jaworowicz will also sing two ensemble pieces with Andrew Landis and Emily Swora, both seniors.

One of those pieces will be a Senegalese song that she learned on S.S.T. “It will be kind of a way to give my fellow S.S.T. members, Andrew and Emily, a chance to connect with me as vocalists as well as pay homage to our shared experience,” said Jaworowicz.

The Senegalese piece will also feature Grant Bachman, a junior, on djembe. Jaworowicz encouraged anyone who has gone on Senegal S.S.T. to attend in Senegalese clothes.

Admission is free and open to the public.

Photo by Chase Snyder.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Amplifiers and speakers have made music and public events audible and accessible for far greater numbers of people than was possible one hundred years ago. Some events are inconceivable without the aid of amplification.

Consider President Obama’s inauguration a couple months back, attended in person by 1.8 million people. It would have been an entirely different experience if only the 100 people closest to him could hear his address. Or consider attending a rock concert where the band played without amps. In this author’s opinion, even Radiohead, without amplification, wouldn’t be that sweet live.

Some music, however, is unique because it isn’t amplified. Such music loses an essential part of itself when it’s run through speakers. This was the case at Eileen Ivers’ Performing Arts Series concert a couple weeks ago.

Don’t get me wrong – that woman can absolutely wail on the electric violin. But when I think of Irish folk music, I picture it in a dimly lit pub, played on acoustic instruments and maybe even a bit out of tune. Eileen’s rendition was too polished, too perfect, too loud.

My continuing love affair with classical music is partly explained by these acoustical musings. Given a world-class symphony orchestra, the sound you hear is the sound its members are producing. No more, no less. Each musician contributes his or her own part, which, when combined with those of fellow musicians, creates a musical whole greater than its constituent parts.

Music such as this is greatest when experienced live. Each tone, articulation and phrase exists only as it is realized in the moment, only as the result of an unmediated, unamplified, collaborative acoustical phenomenon.

If you can, get tickets to see the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra when they perform in Sauder Concert Hall on Mar. 18. This 100-piece orchestra will showcase the brilliant acoustics of the hall in ways that amplified music simply cannot. Without speakers, without amps, this music allows a fidelity to acoustics and tone that creates a truly singular musical world.

Peter Miller is a senior English and music double major from Evanston, Ill.

GC's Chamber Choir sings their final concert at the Church Chapel after touring the Great White North for Spring Break. Photo by Tim Blaum.

Contrary to students who spent their spring break basking in the Floridian sun, members of the chamber choir spent their spring break performing 12 concerts in six states.

The choir left on Feb. 21. bound for Illinois to sing in the first concert of their tour and returned on Mar. 1 for a homecoming concert in the Church-Chapel.

For many choir members, Iowa proved to be a memorable state. Greg Yoder, a senior, remembers the time at Iowa Mennonite School as an opportunity to sing for pure enjoyment.

“We sang informally in the halls … for close to a half an hour,” Yoder said. “The men taught the women songs from men’s choir, and the women taught the men songs from women’s choir.”

Jake Miller, a junior, enjoyed singing in a more unusual setting in Des Moine, Iowa. “We sang in a geo-dome,” Miller said. “It had an orange shag carpet interior. It was as if we were singing in a spaceship.”

Deb Brubaker, professor of music and director of the chamber choir, remembered the performance at Salem- Zion Mennonite Church in Freeman, S.D. as one of her favorites. “It was a very large sanctuary, had a roomy choir loft and a massive pipe organ that sounded glorious in the acoustics, as did the choir,” said Brubaker. “It was a very meaningful performance and one of our best.”

The official theme of the tour was “Encountering God’s Hope.” However, the choir also adopted the more informal slogan “the great white north tour.” The choir shared with the audience ways they have found hope in their lives, both through song and personal stories shared by four students.

Apart from reaching out to the community, the choir was able to strengthen their bond as a group. The long bus rides provided an opportunity for students to interact. Jill Kauffman, a junior, said that after returning to Goshen, she felt “a little disconnected without the group.”

According to Brubaker, “Delightful community was created by the songs made up on the bus. The group spoke about how singing creates community, and we experienced that in many ways on the tour.”

On Saturday at 7 p.m., Trent Wagler and Jay Lapp will take the stage at LVDs Concert Hall at the Old Bag Factory in Goshen to promote their new album “Adrienna Valentine.”

“It’s not a Valentine album, per se, although the cover is red,” Wagler said over the phone from his Harrisonburg, Virginia home.

Wagler and Lapp recorded the album in early 2008, but are only now bringing it to Midwestern audiences and making a radio push to start the new year. Following a successful tour of Ireland, Wagler and Lapp have been working their way across the United States to promote “Valentine” and will stop through Lapp’s hometown – of Goldmine Pickers fame – en route to the Folk Alliance Conference in Memphis, Tennessee.

“Since Jay and I have homes in different places, it’s nice to do a release concert at least in each of our home bases,” Wagler said. Lulls in their busy schedules, the Memphis conference and the holiday weekend culminated in the “perfect storm” of events that will bring the two to Goshen this weekend.

Raised in the small southern Indiana town of Bean Blossom, Wagler said, “My earliest musical influences were really within family, church and … the community at large down there.” Bean Blossom is home to Bill Monroe (the father of bluegrass) and his annual bluegrass festival.

“My parents weren’t big fans of bluegrass,” Wagler said. “We didn’t go to the festival, but we could always hear it.” He adds, though, that his family – including his harmonica-playing grandfather and his father’s gospel quartet – were  most influential in his appreciation for rich harmonies, emphasis on vocals and the joy of singing together.

Wagler is no stranger to the Goshen music scene. He’s jammed, produced and toured with local and regional favorites such as the Goldmine Pickers, Over the Rhine and Lotus. Wagler previously played at LVDs with Lapp, Andru Bemis and Ted Swartz.

“If students haven’t been to LVDs at the Old Bag Factory,” Wagler said, “it’s really not a place to leave that town without spending some time at.”

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday for the 7 p.m. concert. Students with a valid ID can purchase tickets for the reduced price of $7. All other tickets are $10. A Special Edition release CD will be available exclusively at the Goshen show.

Click to hear background on Trent and Jay

Click to hear Wagler discusse Adrienna Valentine

Abri Houser, Laura Harnish and a crowd of other zombie-clad students spent weeks practicing Michael Jackson's Thriller Dance to perform the largest Kick-Off act ever. Photo by Tim Blaum.

Students glided into the music building in glamorous attire for the Spring 2009 Kick-Off on Saturday evening. Acts included original songs, singing duets, several bands – including a band of singing and instrument playing robots – and hip-hop dances.

The winning act of the evening was a group of student zombies who crawled on stage to perform “Thriller” by Michael Jackson. “I learned the dance off of YouTube videos,” said Beth Glick, a junior. “A lot of us were at different places in learning the dance, and on top of that, we are busy college students.”

Second place was an original song by Greg Yoder, a senior, and David Kempf, a senior, called “Ping-pong.” With images and lyrics, they lamented the loss of their graduated friend, Jesse Landis-Eigsti. The third place act went to Adriel Santiago and Lauren Eash who performed a hip-hop dance.

Adam Roth, a fund gift officer at Goshen College and 2005 graduate, helped judge Kick-Off. Roth was impressed by the amount of talent throughout the show. “When I was [at Goshen College], there were only a few stand-out acts, whereas now every act is a stand-out act. It was amazing!”

When asked how the judges decided on the winners, Roth said, “How do you decide? The talent is phenomenal.”

Interspersed between acts, C.A.C. presented awards (maple syrup in maple leaf containers) to the winners of categories such as best room design and most unique job. These students were nominated at a previous C.A.C. event.

Free T-shirts, packaged waffles and french toast sticks were handed out to students at the conclusion of the evening.

Watch video of the winning “Thriller” dance below:

Photo by Alana Kenagy

I believe in music sharing.

Not the uploading and downloading of copyrighted material – nope, that’s illegal. The music sharing I’m talking about is personal.

Last night, my roommate, Clayton, and I did a little music sharing when he didn’t want to do his Spanish homework and I couldn’t sleep. After a conversation about how lame “Christian” music is, I leapt from my bunk and turned my MacBook on, urging it to go faster with clenched fists, clenched teeth and a muttered “c’mon” or two. I was eager to share a song I’d just been inadequately describing to Clayton.

The laptop finally loaded and as the first drum beats and guitar riffs of My Morning Jacket’s “I’m Amazed” rose from my speakers, I attempted to articulate the influences I heard in this contemporary band.

“It’s kind of like 70s southern rock or Alt Country…just a hint of twang…but with kind of Christian lyrics,” I said, and then shut up as the vocals swelled into the first verse. For a moment, we listened and marveled at the sheer musical genius. Then, I quickly moved on to another track to show Clayton how eclectic the band is.

Using his iPod Touch to control his iTunes, Clayton returned the favor, cuing up a song of his own. Through this exchange, I realized that Clayton is just as enthusiastic about music as I am and that we have similar tastes in music.

The magic of this moment and others like it that I’ve shared with friends and strangers alike is this: when we choose a track and then articulate our thoughts and feelings about it, we are baring a little bit of our souls. The moment after I stop talking, but before the listener reacts to my musical selection, can be one of the most agonizing pauses ever.

But finding common ground with someone, no matter the circumstances, can be immensely rewarding. In a way, I guess sharing music that I love with others is one of my methods of connecting with people and showing them a bit of my personality.

I also like to be on the receiving end of this melody exchange, so if you have a favorite band you think I might like, share it with me.

Ted Maust is a first-year secondary education major from Lititz, Pa.

A Capella legend Bobby McFerrin conducts a chorus of volunteers from the audience, many of whom are GC choir members. Photo by Chase Snyder

Everyone at Sauder Concert Hall was out of their seats long before the standing ovation concluded Sunday afternoon’s sold-out Bobby McFerrin concert.

McFerrin may go down in popular culture history as a one-hit wonder who sang “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” But with talent as playful, raw and imaginative as McFerrin’s, the fact that his definitive hit was conspicuously left off the set list did not seem to bother the crowd. They were given several opportunities to go on stage and perform alongside the music legend.

In light blue jeans and a tight, short-sleeved black shirt, McFerrin’s dress was as unassuming as his calm stage presence. After he tied back his long dreadlocks and took a sip of water, McFerrin launched into the first of nearly two dozen songs that showcased his four-octave vocal range, improvisational skills and mastery of the human body as a percussive instrument.

McFerrin scatted and sang his way through six more songs, including a cover of The Beatles’ “Blackbird,” before he finally spoke for the first time and offered an invitation for the audience to sing “Ave Maria” along with him.

This was the first of many subsequent interactions that broke down the typical division between audience and performer. Whether it was an invitation to members to go on stage to accompany his music with interpretive dance, join in on a vocal jam session or provide spontaneous choral backup to a song, dozens of attendees who had anticipated watching an afternoon performance instead became part of it.

Although McFerrin – has a relatively standard repertoire of story and song, witnesses of this real-time creation noticed feelings of immediacy and genuineness rarely found in live performance.

After his impromptu duet with Jesse Landis-Eigsti, a senior, McFerrin requested that the audience sing along. McFerrin said that he had received an e-mail from Vance George, Goshen College alumnus and former San Francisco Symphony Choir director, which said that McFerrin should simply say the words “six-oh-six” and the audience would know what to do.

McFerrin stood silently on stage with a smile as the approximately 900-person audience stood and performed “Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow” for him.

“That may be the first time an audience has sang to me like that,” McFerrin said. “Wow!”

It was a show for all ages, as McFerrin’s set list ranged from jazzy scatting and gospel standards to a “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” sing-along and full reenactment of “The Wizard of Oz,” which ended as McFerrin soaked himself in his remaining water.

Perhaps the audience’s only complaint was that McFerrin could not stay around for the customary post-show meet-and-greet. He had to catch a plane that evening to attend Barack Obama’s inauguration in Washington.