music
January 25, 2024
Choirs perform at ASHE
On Saturday, the Goshen College choirs performed in South Bend, alongside UZIMA! Drum and Dance Company and nine additional choirs at the Debartolo Center. The event was called ASHE: A Celebration of Voices, and also featured the Pokagon Band Ribbon Town dancers and over 40 individuals from the Michiana area, coming together in a tribute and celebration to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. A solo portion was performed by Bongiwe Ncube, a senior biology major at GC and member of Voices of the Earth. “I think that this was a rich experience for our choirs because we all got to...
January 18, 2024
GCSO makes music amidst missing members
As the Goshen College Symphony Orchestra faces low numbers, students hope stable leadership will increase participation. Victor Vegas, a junior music major and violin player, explaining his perspective on the recent low membership said, “the previous semester, we had a kind of rocky situation with an interim director … and I feel like that probably made people lose motivation to join orchestra.” One immediate solution that has been implemented concerning membership is hiring community members to play in performances. One such member is Kristin Waltner, interim registrar at GC and flautist. On her decision to join, Waltner said, “It felt...
September 28, 2023
¡Vamos a gozar!
Goshen College needs to expand its everyday music repertoire. There are many situations that require a specific song to capture their essence, but it’s hard to start from scratch. In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, Naomi put together this playlist of exclusively Spanish music! (Kidding, it was totally Isis.) Combine these recommendations into an incredibly versatile musical experience fit for any setting. Song: “No Me Queda Más” by Selena Perfect for when you are waiting for your laundry to finish, specifically if your dress pants are dirty and you’re already late for your nephew’s wedding! But wait, oh no! They...
September 14, 2023
Mariachi group finds home on GC campus
Goshen College welcomed a new music group to campus last Friday. People may have come for the Performing Arts Series concert with Flor de Toloache, but they also had the opportunity to listen to the debut of a new Mariachi group from ECoSistema. Mariachi ECo, led by Hillary Harder, is a group that has been in the works since the spring. Gilberto Pérez, Jr., dean of students, approached Harder with the idea for the group. Growing up in South Texas, Pérez was surrounded by a culture of Mariachi, and he wanted to bring that to the community here. ECoSistema felt...
March 16, 2023
Moffitt’s voice emerges in first year at GC
When Kyla Moffitt arrived at GC in the fall of 2022, she didn’t think that music would be so important to her college experience. Now, a couple months away from the end of the school year, it has become something people know her for across campus. Moffit is a freshman film production major who sings in the Queen Singers, a group of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) women. She has also performed individually at open mic nights and convocation — most recently at the Black Student Union convocation in February, where she sang “I Know Where I’ve Been” by...
February 2, 2023
BEE! brings a buzz to Goshen
GoDance Studio in downtown Goshen was buzzing last Friday night with people swarming around a show put on by Brides of Neptune and BEE! Both bands are based in Goshen, but BEE! includes Evan Judson on the keyboard and trumpet, GC alumni Evan Krabill (‘21) as lead vocalist and guitarist and current GC seniors Birch Baer on drums and Isaac Fisher on bass guitar. The group got its start in 2021 as a way for some of the members to make music together. “We took the first letter from each of our names [at that point] to create the name...
February 2, 2023
From a suit to a kilt: Yoder and his bagpipes
Todd Yoder is Goshen College’s vice president of institutional advancement. Yoder wears a suit and tie to the office, but outside of work there’s another outfit he puts on: a kilt, a jacket and a special hat. This outfit is also accompanied by a set of bagpipes. Yoder has been mastering the craft of the bagpipes for 11 years. After graduating from GC, Yoder moved back to the east coast, where he was raised. He decided to learn the bagpipes while living in Pennsylvania, just one year before moving with his wife, Kathleen, back to Goshen in 2013. Kathleen also...
January 19, 2023
Faculty recital highlights African-American voices
Goshen College’s 2023 King Celebration honored the life Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Jan. 20 with a faculty recital by H. Roz Woll, associate professor of music, and colleague Roy Jennings, pianist, arranger and founder of Arch Angel Productions. The recital included music from all African-American composers and spoken word from Jakyra Green, a junior English and secondary education major and a song performed by Nakiyah Kilpatrick, a senior sign language interpreting major. Initially slated for October 2022, the recital was postponed to GC’s King Celebration due to Jennings being ill. With the date change, Woll decided to have...
September 30, 2022
GC Music Center hosts Sherer Competition
Goshen College’s Music Center held their annual Sherer International Violin and Piano Competition on Sept. 17 and 18. The competition was open to classically trained pianists and violinists ages 13-18 across the globe. While the competition was originally set to begin in 2020, its first year was canceled due to COVID-19. This is the second year the music department has held the competition. “I was honored to be asked [to judge] and thoroughly enjoyed listening to the 11 talented violinists,” said Professor Penny Thompson Kruse, professor of violin at Bowling Green State University and a judge for the Sherer Competition....
April 15, 2022
Preview of spring orchestra concert
The Goshen College Symphony Orchestra (GCSO), conducted by Brian Mast, will present their spring concert in Sauder Concert Hall on Saturday, April 23. This year’s spring repertoire will feature three main pieces from the United States, Japan and Ukraine: John Williams’ Star Wars Suite; Joe Hisaishi’s Spirited Away Suite; and Myroslav Skoryk’s Melody. For the second and third movements of the Star Wars Suite, the orchestra will be joined by the Community School of the Arts’ Youth Honors Symphony Orchestra (YHSO). Ana Neufeld Weaver, a sophomore music education major and YHSO assistant, noted her thoughts on YHSO’s preparation process. “These...
April 15, 2022
Earthtones concert celebrates seniors with song
Three Goshen College choirs — Chamber Choir, Vox Profundi and Voices of the Earth — presented a mosaic of music at the Earthtones: Songs From Many Cultures concert in Sauder Concert Hall on Saturday. The choirs performed individually and as a joint chorus. The program featured choral works in many languages and countries, including Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland, Nigeria, China, South Korea, Syria, Iraq, Mexico and Ukraine. During their individual performances, the Vox Profundi and Voices of the Earth choirs invited their relatives, mentors and friends to join them for a song. In addition to the choirs, the program included...
April 14, 2022
Songs and snacks: Chocolate House packed out
Female and nonbinary performers took to the stage at the Chocolate House on Friday evening. At this talent show, male participants are invited to show their support by taking a seat and providing chocolate treats. Chocolate House is set apart from other coffeehouses and open mic nights on campus because of its intent to create an affirming atmosphere for marginalized gender identities who may feel less welcome in other spaces. Therefore, men are limited to a supporting role as audience members. Savannah Roth Walter, a member of the planning committee, made it clear that the committee wants everyone to experience...
April 14, 2022
Girl Named Tom Q&A
The band Girl Named Tom won The Voice competition last December. Four months later, they reflect on the experience and share what comes next. Did you explain your Mennonite roots to other contestants on The Voice? Josh: You have to explain the Mennonite roots. People are very intrigued in us since we are a trio — it’s just different. We luckily have a number of things that make us strange: siblings, the homeschool thing and Mennonite thing, and then people associate that with Amish. It’s a great conversation to have with people, we love it every time. Proud of...
March 31, 2022
How to prepare for a recital: Music students share their tips
As music students prepare for their end-of-the-year recitals, students and professors share valuable pre-performance advice. All recitals will take place in Rieth Recital Hall. Ainslee Zou (cello), senior music and biochemistry major: I have my senior thesis defense for my biochemistry major before my senior recital. Although there’s a lot of stress surrounding those things, I’m trying to think of both of these things as a culmination and a celebration of my achievements. (Zou’s senior recital will take place April 3 at 7:30 p.m.) Bohan Lin (violin), senior music and business major: Practice. Be humble before the...
March 31, 2022
Review: ‘The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee’ is a wild ride
As the first spring mainstage with a live audience since before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” sets the bar up high for all future musical shows at Goshen College. The show opened in the Umble Theater with an enthusiastic judge, a pining vice principal, a parolee, and six young spelling bee contestants (alongside four pre-selected audience participants). “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” is a wild ride from start to finish — the script is full of witty banter, relatable characters dealing with difficult life situations, and ridiculous song breaks. The tone...