music
November 28, 2018
Pianist family, The 5 Browns, come to Goshen
The 5 Browns are bringing their musical talents to Sauder Concert Hall as part of the 2018-19 Performing Arts Series. They are set to perform Saturday, Dec. 15 at 7:30 p.m. The group consists of five siblings: Ryan, Melody, Gregory, Deondra and Desirae. All five siblings were born in Houston, Texas and began their piano training at the age of three. The family moved to Utah in 1991 and grew up in the Church of Latter Day Saints. They were home-schooled while they continued their piano study. Each of them were accepted to Julliard School in New York. Three of...
November 28, 2018
Highly anticipated “Festival of Carols” returns to Sauder Hall
Sauder Concert Hall will again host the annual Festival of Carols. Performances will take place Dec. 7-9. The concert will include performances by the Goshen College Symphony Orchestra, the Goshen College Choirs, and Goshen College music faculty with the expectation of audience participation. This December will mark the fifteenth year of Festival of Carols. Created by former GC choir director, James Heiks, the program has several different aspects that make it to stand out among the other concerts done throughout the year. For example, Festival of Carols always includes audience participation throughout the program. Audience members sing along with college...
November 7, 2018
GC Chamber Choir joins Symphony Orchestra in Sauder
On Friday, the Goshen College Chamber Choir and Chamber Orchestra combined for an evening of music in Sauder Concert Hall. The concert provided a sneak peek of the tour the two ensembles will go on this coming February, as well as showcasing additional Chamber Choir and Symphony Orchestra pieces. Under the direction of Dr. Jose Rocha, the Chamber Choir and Chamber Orchestra started the concert by performing “Te Deum,” composed by Joseph Haydn. Rocha expressed the educational value of the experience for those involved to work together with other musicians. He said, “We get to explore a new way of...
October 31, 2018
Alice Parker to share music with Goshen College community
Goshen College will be welcoming Alice Parker for a festival performance of her music at the College Mennonite Church-Chapel On Sunday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. Parker, age 92, is known worldwide for her contributions to music, specifically in vocal compositions. Throughout her career, she has maintained close connections to the Mennonite community, using the traditional Anabaptist four-part harmony as the core of her work. The multi-award winning composer will be in the Goshen area for three days. At noon on Nov. 16, she will be joined at Rieth Recital Hall by Mary Oyer, Goshen College music professor emerita, and...
October 24, 2018
Lavender Jazz takes on another year
Lavender Jazz, Goshen College’s resident big band, has established itself as a staple of GC culture but there is more to them than just jazz. Attendees of Lavender Jazz concerts will hear not only jazz standards, but pieces in diverse styles such as swing, blues, world beat, New Orleans, and jazz fusion. This year the group is made up of 10 people, though the number varies by year. A select group of five students form the Lavender Jazz Combo, a student-lead ensemble which prepares and performs additional music. The 2018-2019 Combo is made up of Nathan Berkey (bass), Gabe Miller...
September 24, 2018
Rieth Chamber Series to Present its Sixth Season
Rieth Recital Hall is about to host its sixth season of the Rieth Chamber Series, which features classical music performed by soloists and ensembles from all over the world. The series will begin on this Friday, Sept. 28 at 7:30 p.m. with The Donald Sinta Quartet. The Quartet is an all-male group of saxophonists named after their mentor, University of Michigan Saxophone Professor Donald Sinta. The Michigan-based group is notable for their ability to connect with new groups of listeners, and for their distinctive repertoire. The quartet also performs without the aid of sheet music and usually standing up, conventions...
September 16, 2018
Noted countertenor joins music faculty
It’s no longer all about that bass around the Goshen College music department as countertenor Joshua Boggs begins his work as the interim instructor of choral music at Goshen College. Boggs, who sings countertenor, holds this position for the 2018-2019 academic year in place of director Scott Hochstetler. Hochstetler and his wife Rachel are serving in Peru as faculty leaders for three rounds of SST groups. During the year, Boggs will take over the teaching of Men’s Choir, Aural Skills, Conducting 1 and some voice lessons. Boggs originally heard about the position through a friend, although he said he was...
September 12, 2018
Traditional Indonesian Instrument (Finally) Arrives at Goshen College
It started in 2011. That year, Debra Detwiler, professor of music, was ecstatic when she was approached with the information that an alumnus wanted to donate a series of traditional Indonesian instruments to Goshen College. “I thought, ‘Gamelan for free? This has to happen.’” The word “gamelan” comes from the Javanese word “gamel,” which means “to strike or hammer.” Gamelans typically feature a variety of instruments similar to xylophones, drums and gongs. The rhythmic music created by gamelans is very spiritual in Indonesian culture and often includes supplementary and symbolic dancers and vocalists. When Detwiler shared the possibility of GC...
September 11, 2018
Parables, GC’s worship ensemble, “searches” for meaning
Every year, a group of Goshen College students forms the small worship ensemble Parables — an auditioned musical group which tells biblical stories and themes through song, testimony and theatrical skits. The 2018-2019 Parables group is made up of sophomores Lisa Rosado, Emmy Rupp, Stephen Lowe, Bek Zehr, Kailey Rice, and Josiah Phiri, and juniors Elijah Lora and Abigail Greaser. They work alongside Marcia Yost, director of arts at GC, who helps coordinate events and schedules for the Parables group. This year’s theme, “I am Searching…,” is conveyed through a program of music and skits which presents questions and ideas...
April 12, 2018
Award winning trio next up for Performing Arts Series
Returning to Sauder Concert Hall by popular demand, The Wailin’ Jennys, a Juno award-winning trio, are set to perform to a sold-out crowd on Sunday, April 15 at 7:30 p.m. The performance is one of the most anticipated of the 2018 Performing Arts Series lineup. The three women who comprise The Wailin’ Jennys — Nicky Mehta, Ruth Moody, and Heather Masse — each bring distinct vocals that combine to create the beautiful, heartstopping sound of the band. In addition to achingly beautiful harmonies, The Wailin’ Jennys also bring to the table an uplifting and engaging stage presence that has delighted...
April 12, 2018
‘Earthtones’ to showcase music from around the world
The Goshen College choral ensembles will take the stage Friday, April 14 to present “Earthtones: Songs From Many Cultures.” This performance is the final concert of the 2017-18 school year for GC’s Women’s and Men’s Choirs, as well as for Chamber Choir. The “Earthtones” concert is an annual staple of the music department, always featuring an array of vocal sounds from nearly every continent and showcasing choral arrangements from many cultures. Aside from English, the three choirs will present works written in a number of languages, including Swahili, Korean, Bulgarian, Spanish, Hindi, and French Creole. Each choir will perform individual...
April 5, 2018
Small town band to play at Ignition
Savannah Buist and Katie Larson met while collaborating on a music class orchestra project. The two musicians completed the project but created so much more: a friendship, as well as a band, The Accidentals. “We actually lived on the same street as each other for, like, 10 years, but we didn’t know and we were super introverted, but being in the alternative styles really broke us out of our shells,” said Buist. While working on the project at Buist’s house, Larson played a song on Buist’s guitar that no one else had heard before. Buist loved the songs, and from...
April 5, 2018
Lavender Jazz to perform on Friday
On the evening of Friday, April 6, the current members of Lavender Jazz will take the Sauder Concert Hall stage. This performance features the four senior members of the band: Sarah Shoue, Isaac Godshalk, Reid Wegrecki and Julian Harnish. Each senior will perform a personally selected piece with the rest of the Lavender Jazz ensemble. Shoue will be performing a jazz standard entitled “Footprints,” composed by Wayne Shorter. Considering the laid-back vibe that emanates from each note, “it’s my favorite ‘rainy day’ or late evening kind of jazz,” said Shoue. Even though the song may sound relaxing to the listener,...
March 22, 2018
New leadership for Lavender Jazz
Goshen College’s jazz band, Lavender Jazz, has undergone a change this semester ahead of the band’s next performance on April 6. Greg Smucker ‘82 has stepped in as guest conductor, guiding the band in preparation. Growing up in Columbus, Ohio, Smucker had an affinity for music from an early age. Even before his great-grandmother gave him a trumpet she had purchased at an auction, Smucker said, “I had decided I would be a trumpeter when I grew up.” Smucker played in school bands all throughout high school. He was selected to attend an alternative high school for students interested in...
March 22, 2018
‘An Acoustic Evening with Lyle Lovett and Shawn Colvin’ to come to Goshen
Sauder Concert Hall will soon be filled with the acoustic melodies of Lyle Lovett and Shawn Colvin for an evening of original music and storytelling. The duo, who own seven Grammy Awards between them, are replacing the canceled “Evening with Garrison Keillor” in the 2017-18 Performing Arts Series. Neither performer is new to the Goshen College stage. Both Lovett and Colvin have been featured in the Performing Arts Series in the past, though separately. The long-time friends are coming together this Friday, March 23 at 7:30 p.m. to showcase their talents for the Goshen community. “I think this combination and...