performing arts
December 2, 2021
Girl Named Tom makes it to final 8 on ‘The Voice’
The band Girl Named Tom continued their run on The Voice Tuesday, advancing to the final eight. The sibling trio — made up of two Goshen College alumni, Josh and Caleb Liechty, and their sister, Bekah Liechty — has recently seen their fan base skyrocket on a national scale. Goshen College has become a microcosm of the craze, as many people in the Goshen community have become fans in the past few months. Announcements in the Communicator advertise The Voice watch parties: “Good snacks provided!” Girl Named Tom stickers adorn water bottles and laptops. Girl Named Tom-branded shirts and crewnecks...
December 2, 2021
Meet Goshen Panic, the band with a ‘brassy electic soundtrack’
They brought down the house at Kick-Off and Howell-o-ween this year, and they have no plans on stopping. They’re Goshen Panic, a group made up of seven Goshen College students: Sam Scheele, Ben Good-Elliot, Jonathan Orjala, Isaac Fisher, Birch Baer, Grace Hitt and Isaac Bontrager. Scheele, a junior music major and history minor who plays the euphonium and trombone, assembled the group in 2019 for a Kick-Off audition. “We just kept going [after that],” he said. Scheele is responsible for composing and arranging most of the band’s sets. “I look at a mix of jazz and funk, and I add...
November 11, 2021
Girl Named Tom to continue on ‘The Voice’
The sibling band Girl Named Tom was voted into the semi-final round of The Voice this week, after performing for a nationwide audience in the competition’s live playoffs. The band, which consists of siblings Caleb, Josh and Bekah Liechty, is well-known to many at Goshen College, as both Josh and Caleb are recent GC alumni. Many students and community members attended their sold-out performance in Sauder Concert Hall this past October. Live playoffs on The Voice began on Monday and included performances from the twenty remaining acts. Girl Named Tom represented Team Kelly as the first of the night to...
November 11, 2021
Physical Plant employee by day, rapper and rock star by night
Who says that an artist has to stick to one genre? One thing is for certain: you’ll never hear Billy Easton make that claim. Easton, a member of the Goshen College grounds maintenance crew, has been involved in the world of music in various forms for over three decades. From humble hip-hop beginnings that began with rapping and writing poetry as a child to live-performances and collaborations with various regional artists, Billy Easton’s musical career has been eclectic. After spending more than 10 years with a traveling jazz hip hop group in the 2000s and working with groups that shifted...
November 11, 2021
Standing room only at GC’s first drag show
History was made on Friday with Goshen College’s first-ever drag show, featuring performances from a local drag queen and students. Earlier that day, Newcomer 19 had been transformed into a colorful drag arena by members of GC’s Advocates club. They prepared the room for the crowd of students and community members that would soon flock to the show with pride flags, rainbow streamers and a stage. Eli Reimer, Advocates leader and MC for the night, greeted the packed crowd before the show began: “Clearly, next time we need to book a much bigger venue.” The mission of Advocates is to...
November 11, 2021
Brooklyn Bridge to open this weekend
This weekend in Umble Theater, the Goshen College Theater Department will present its fall mainstage production, Brooklyn Bridge by Melissa James Gibson. When Sasha, a fifth-grade latch-key kid, can’t locate a pen to write her due-tomorrow report on the Brooklyn Bridge, she musters the guts to defy her mother’s restrictions and leave their apartment for assistance. There, in front of the gorgeous bridge, she encounters a diverse group of neighbors, each unique in their own way but all sharing a profound good-heartedness. This lighthearted play celebrates the creation of things such as research papers, bridges and communities. Sasha discovers along...
November 4, 2021
Goshen choirs sing out for a live audience
On Friday, Goshen College presented its annual fall choral concert in Sauder Concert Hall. The concert featured the three Goshen College choirs: Chamber Choir, Vox Profundi and Voices of the Earth. “There’s something about a performance that allows everyone to focus at the same time,” said H. Roz Woll, professor of music at Goshen College and director of Voices of the Earth. “It’s a chance for the choir to give something to the audience and take them somewhere. That can create a different musical experience.” Goshen College’s music department is made up of students and faculty from many different backgrounds...
November 4, 2021
Java Junction hosts acoustic music night
Take a second and close your eyes. You are sitting on a plush cushion, completely relaxed as you are hugged by the well-worn couch. The lights are dim, and you feel safe. Beyond the windows roams the frightening cold of the night. The air is warm as you hold a hot mug of coffee in your hand. However, we should pause there, noting that we do not discriminate against our cold coffee drinkers — yet, for the purpose of this dramatic, overtly drawn-out and rather magnified narration, a cold coffee just doesn’t quite fit the vibe. We must also account...
November 4, 2021
GC hosts a Super show
Mike Super, a widely renowned magician, performed at Goshen College last weekend. Super is a winner of the NBC magic show Phenomenon, a top finalist on America’s Got Talent and a performer on The Ellen Show and Penn & Teller. He did two shows at the Umble Center as part of the Performing Arts Series (PAS). The first show, an official PAS event, was for a nearly sold-out audience paying $20 to $30 per ticket. The second was a free show for students. Both performances were in the Umble Center to give Super a more intimate setting that was conducive...
October 28, 2021
Camerata Singers and Jose Rocha perform for ‘Hope and Healing’
On Sunday, Oct. 24, Goshen College presented its fall music program “Hope and Healing” in Sauder Concert Hall. The program explored different themes such as racial tension, economic instability and climate change, all during a global pandemic. “The music I selected all has to do with hope and healing,” said Scott Hochstetler, professor of music at Goshen College and director of the event. “We specifically chose healing because I knew we were going to be coming out of the pandemic. We need hope that we can get through this…It’s a very timely theme.” The event explored these themes on a...
October 14, 2021
Worth a thousand words: Kick-Off 2021
Isabella Ruiz performing an original composition for voice and ukulele. Dantaye Albert performing his comedy routine “Being Black at Goshen College.” Wendo Kisila delivers a poem on the video screen with an in person interpreter. The members of Howell House performing a “Mama Mia” dance medley, featuring lead singer Agusta Nafziger. The dance group tied for third place. Goshen Panic, an ensemble made up of Sam Scheele, Benjamin Good-Elliot, Isaac Fisher, Birch Baer, and Jonathan Orjala, trumpet. Bohan Lin and Julia Jun, performing “Peace is a Promise You Keep” by Addereth Worship.
October 14, 2021
Kick-Off makes a comeback
Goshen College students showcased their talents at the annual Kickoff event in Sauder Concert Hall last Saturday. The 15 acts of the evening demonstrated a wide range of unique abilities including singing, playing instruments, comedy and much more. While last year’s live performance was limited to only seniors (others watched it on over live stream from dispersed locations), this year saw a return to full in-person participation, with mask-wearing being the only COVID-19 restriction, besides the cancelation of the traditional after-party. The band The Runaways won the contest with a cover of “Runaway Baby” by Bruno Mars that brought the...
September 30, 2021
Girl Named Tom debuts on ‘The Voice’
Members of the Goshen College community near and far watched last Monday as Girl Named Tom, a sibling band featuring two GC grads, sang for renowned musicians on NBC’s The Voice. After winning the favor of all four judges, the group will continue to perform on the 21st season of the popular music competition show under the tutelage of multiple Grammy award-winner Kelly Clarkson. The show’s other judges are John Legend, Blake Shelton and Ariana Grande. Girl Named Tom is a sibling band with three members: Caleb, Joshua and Bekah Liechty from Pettisville, OH. The two oldest are graduates of...
September 9, 2021
Abigail Greaser directs peace play
The theater department will be kicking off their 2021-22 season with in-person performances of the winner of the 2020 Goshen College Peace Play Contest: Barbara Lindsay’s Heavenly Light directed by Abigail Greaser. The Goshen College Peace Play Contest is the only annual contest dedicated exclusively to plays concerning peace and peace-associated topics in the United States. Typically, the winning play is performed each year, but, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the production of Heavenly Light was postponed for one year. This fall is the first time the script will premiere on the stage. Adapted from a different body of her...
September 9, 2021
Youth music competition held this weekend
Goshen College will host its inaugural Sherer Violin and Piano Competition on Friday and Saturday at the Music Center. The competition is named after Lon and Kathryn Sherer, former professors emeriti of music at Goshen College. Throughout their nearly 40-year legacy, the Sherers created a compassionate and supportive environment surrounding music. The competition is aimed toward young, disciplined musicians in grades 8-12 who are not currently enrolled at a university. “What is very exciting for us is that we could draw … young people who are very accomplished in their field, who put a lot of effort...