Lavender Jazz presented instrumental solos, surprise singers and warped guitar sounds in Umble Center under purple backdrops and orange overhead lights last Friday. The ensemble boomed throughout the building in a groovy and energetic chorus, playing nine unique songs. According to Greg Smucker, the director and adjunct professor, its “in your face” style paired with the small venue and sizable band added to the fun. “We came over to Umble [from the music center] because we’re getting lost in Sauder when only 100 people or less were showing up,” Smucker said. “And over time the crowd has gotten bigger. The...

By Charlie Aldrich • April 11, 2024 • Arts

On April 5, Goshen College student artists and alumni gathered at the Goshen Farmers Market for an art sale as a part of the annual Well-Crafted Arts Tour for Downtown Goshen’s First Fridays.  The art sale was an opportunity for GC artists to engage with the community and talk about their work while earning money. Artists presented a range of media including printmaking, pottery, digital art and clothing manipulation.  “[The art sale] helps to foster more relationships between Goshen College and the broader community,” said Sara Method, assistant professor of art. “This also allows our students to gain invaluable experience...

By Sadie Brenneman • April 11, 2024 • Arts

“This doodle started with some colored marker scribbles to get me started, then I began filling them in with sharpie to create objects out of the scribbles. Then I made it a goal to fill as much of the white space as I could. That way you can keep finding new things with every viewing. I tried to hide aspects of my life or depict thoughts that crossed my mind while I drew.” – Ryan Snider is a junior social work major from Benton, Indiana.

By Ryan Snider • April 4, 2024 • Arts

A nun, a devil and a G-string; not what you would expect at a traditional strings performance. This past Tuesday’s April Fools’ Day concert featured all three. The two-hour performance presented the musical prowess among both GC students and staff alike, including mesmerizing strumming, finger plucking and storytelling while guiding the audience through a “humourous walk through violin literature.” The recital opened with a brief introduction by Dustin George-Miller, Music Center office coordinator. Walking to the stage, he set the tone in a brightly colored blazer that sported eccentric shapes and was quick to offer a “thanks, Amazon,” for shipping...

By Isabella Aldrich • April 4, 2024 • Arts

It was mid-November when Sara Method, assistant professor of art, offered Aaliah Higareda, a sophomore graphic design major, an opportunity to develop her portfolio. This wasn’t your typical college resume-builder or an artsy side-project, but an opportunity to help on a larger scale.  The offer? To assist asylum seekers by creating wayfinding signage. The offer was unpaid and purely volunteer work, but Higareda was quick to accept. The assignment was originally sent over from Emily Miller, associate director of the asylum and border services on behalf of Church World Service, as they were in dire need of proper signage. CWS,...

By Charlie Aldrich • April 4, 2024 • Arts

‘New’ has been the recurring word when talking about the upcoming musical scenes, “Resistance, Revolution, Reconciliation! A Cabaret.” With the last cabaret being performed four years ago, Amy Budd, professor of theater and director of the show, decided to change things up, allowing the student cast more control over the music, writing and directing.  According to some of the cast, a change in this production was a new focus on student direction, with some original work by Fatima Zahara, a junior music and theater double major and cast member. “It’s different … from a regular musical, because normally with a...

By Charlie Aldrich • March 21, 2024 • Arts

Tom Ashcraft, a professor of fine arts at West Carolina University, visited Goshen College  as part of a college endowment for visiting artists. Ashcraft and the art department hosted a reception and workshop along with a speech at convocation. The focal point of this lecture centered around his art exhibit “Du Quotidien,” which was recently displayed in the Hershberger Art Gallery in the Music Center. “I always walk past the gallery in the Music Center for choir,” said Lukas Bontrager-Waite, a senior writing major and reception attendee. “I’m always curious about whatever showcase they have set up in there, so...

By Charlie Aldrich • March 21, 2024 • Arts

“What I wanted to demonstrate in this artwork was that our release from the ego is done by creating a positive structure surrounding one’s belief system, one’s understanding and acceptance of themself and their shadow, and the overall idea of letting your individual consciousness shine through.” — Jacob Dixon, a sophomore sustainablity major and the artist

By Jacob Dixon • March 14, 2024 • Arts

“International Guitar Night” made its stop at Sauder Concert Hall on Saturday, March 9. It was an exciting event featuring guitarists across the globe, as artists from Brazil to Australia graced the stage with a wide variety of musical stylings and groovy instruments.  Luca Stricagnoli and his acoustic-style guitar opened the show with a vibrant cover of AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck.” Stricagnoli says this is the fourth time he has hosted the show.  The audience was mesmerized by his inventive fingerstyle techniques that provided a new and unique sound to his music. Stricagnoli then brought his own three-necked guitar onto the stage...

By Caroline Lamb • March 14, 2024 • Arts

Each year, the music department takes a choir on tour during spring break. This year, Voices of the Earth had the opportunity to go to cities like Chicago, Detroit and Cleveland as well as some smaller towns in Ohio.  We left bright and early on Feb. 24. We loaded the bus after checking in with the one and only Marcia Yost. The bus was filled with energy and excitement, despite it being 6 a.m. We spent the whole first day in Detroit, and instead of starting our tour with performances, we got to visit two amazing museums: the Charles H....

By Aysia Adkins • March 14, 2024 • Arts

You’re A Refreshing Dream You look just like you’re made of  refreshing dreams.   The kind you have After going back to  Sleep after jolting  Awake from a nightmare.    “Tea Time With Shayne” In my hands, some hot modified chai tea,  With creamer, sugar, and cinnamon spice.  A drink as delicious as drink can be,  a comfort without supermarket price.  The liquid falls down my desert dry throat into my stomach and warms me right up.  My sandpaper throat, it will help me coat. My ceramic doctor in a quick cup.  This mixture, my own secret remedy  was volcano...

By Shayne Wassell • February 22, 2024 • Arts

The Good Library hosted its third annual Geek Off last Friday, with the intention of displaying the unique and creative endeavors among the Goshen College community. The contest was open to students, faculty and staff, allowing them the opportunity to “geek out,” while also competing for prizes. The hourlong event saw a total of 15 participants, with 11 students showing out. The criteria for entry consisted of personal creative projects outside of the classroom, with students being able to submit more than one piece. Virtual entries were accepted as well. The projects submitted included poetry, art and writing, music, crochet...

By Charlie Aldrich • February 22, 2024 • Arts

A hush fell over the crowd in Sauder Concert Hall, which just minutes before had been raucous and boisterous. With the tuning of the Goshen College Symphony Orchestra fading away, the door on the right side of the stage opened. As Brian Mast, the orchestra’s conductor, walked out to begin the 64th annual Concerto-Aria concert, the audience exploded with raucous applause. The orchestra began the night with a triumphant Mozart overture, the entrance to his opera “Die Zauberflöte” (The Magic Flute), giving the audience a feeling of brightness and excitement. The piece introduced the following one, “Wie, Wie, Wie?” from...

By Daniel James • February 22, 2024 • Arts

The Goshen College choirs gathered in Sauder Concert Hall to put on the Winter Choral Concert last Saturday.  The evening began with selections from the low voice choir, Vox Profundi, under the direction of Scott Hochstetler. They began with “Pacem,” which is Latin for peace, moved into an a cappella version of “Fix You” by Coldplay, and ended with a comical piece called “Lambscapes” which includes renditions of “Mary Had a Little Lamb” with influences from Gregorian Chant, Handel, Schubert and Verdi. Jocsan Barahona Rosales, a junior musical theater major and soloist in “Lambscapes” and “Fix You” talked about how...

By Sarah Miller • February 15, 2024 • Arts

This Sunday afternoon, Reith Recital Hall was filled with the sounds of passionate violin playing, rich cello tones and dramatic piano chords — the sounds of the Sherer Trio.  The Sherer Trio was created in memory of Lon Sherer, the founder of the Goshen College Orchestra, and Kathryn Sherer, a piano professor at GC. It is composed of Solomia Soroka on violin, Matthew Hill on piano and Dato Machavariani on cello. The concert began with Beethoven’s Piano Trio in C minor, Op. 1, No. 3. Its fiery passages and mournful sections offered a dramatic conversation between the instruments.  Next, the...

By Ana Neufeld Weaver • February 15, 2024 • Arts