Music ensembles concluding academic year with week of performances

Music ensembles concluding academic year with week of performances

Northwest Missouri State University's music ensembles are taking the stage for a slate of concerts as the University concludes its academic year.

All of the concerts are being staged in the Mary Linn Auditorium at the Ron Houston Center for the Performing Arts. They are free and open to the public.

For more information about musical ensembles at Northwest, visit https://www.nwmissouri.edu/finearts/music/ensembles/.

April 20: University Chorale, Symphonic Band

The Symphonic Band and University Chorale will bring voices and instruments together in a dynamic collaboration when they take the stage at 7 p.m. Monday, April 20.

"Collaboration is incredibly important in the arts," Dr. Max Gerhart, a lecturer of music at Northwest and the Symphonic Band conductor, said. "Bringing these two great ensembles together is beneficial for all involved. Additionally, the audience gets to hear the wonderful music made from both the choral and instrumental sides of our department."

The Symphonic Band portion of the performance will feature three student conductors, who also assist in selecting the pieces performed.

"The group has grown immensely," Gerhart said. "Much of this is due to the amazing work of our student conductors, who bring high standards to the ensemble while still maintaining a fun and supportive atmosphere."

The Symphonic Band is active during the spring semester and performs a broad range of music literature, including modern wind compositions and light pop selections. The band is open to all Northwest students and presents two concerts during the spring semester.

The University Chorale will sing a range of music genres and styles, including "Set Me as a Seal," a devotional chorale style song; "Minoi, Minoi," a Samoan folk dance song; "Ride On, King Jesus," a gospel piece; "The Sweetheart of the Sun," a chorale style song; "Hark, I Hear the Harps Eternal," an American folk hymn; "Good Night, Dear Heart," a contemporary chorale piece; and " Way Over in Beulah Lan," a spiritual song.

Dr. Elise Hepworth, the dean of the College of Arts, Communication and Social Sciences at Northwest, began conducting the University Chorale last fall. Before joining the staff at Northwest, Hepworth spent several years in music education.

"The opportunity to teach Bearcats is meaningful for me on a personal level," Hepworth said. "As an alumna of this ensemble, I spent time in these same rehearsal spaces, singing this kind of music, so coming back now on the other side of the podium has been a full-circle experience."

The Chorale will open with "Fire" by Katerina Gimon, a high-energy chorale piece. Hepworth said it brings fresh and modern energy to the program.

"The opening work is a striking and unusual piece, especially compared to what people might expect from a traditional choral performance," Hepworth said. "It uses contemporary compositional techniques like layered rhythmic patterns, percussive vocal effects and extended vocal sounds that go beyond just singing a melody."

The University Chorale is open to all students on campus as well as community members. It presents one concert each semester, and its repertoire ranges from classical to gospel and contemporary to Broadway. It is Northwest's largest choral ensemble and provides an opportunity for everyone to experience the joy of vocal music. There is no audition requirement for membership.

April 21: Wind Symphony

The Wind Symphony will highlight upbeat and joyful repertoire at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 21.

The ensemble will perform musical pieces, including "Exhilaration and Cry" from Southern Harmony by Donald Grantham; "Lift Up Your Heads" by composed by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and transcribed by Shiree X. Williams; "Solas Ane (Yesterday's Joy)" by Samuel Hazo; and "Slava!" Composed by Leonard Bernstein and arranged by Clare Grundman.

The performance will also feature the Lewis Central High School band as well as Northwest alumni Paige Rodewald and Audrey Linke, who will perform alongside Lewis Central.

"For our program, everything is centered around the idea of joy or happiness," Dr. Kathryn Strickland, a Northwest professor of music and director of the Wind Symphony. "There's a wide variety. One sounds like old time, 1920s, and another is more like a southern hoedown, but they're all just kind of rooted in positivity because we thought that the world needed a little bit of that."

The Wind Symphony is the University's premier wind ensemble and performs the best standard selections from all styles and periods, in addition to recent repertoire for wind bands.

April 23: Jazz ensembles

The Northwest Jazz Ensemble, Studio Jazz Ensemble, and Jazz Combo will perform on Thursday, April 23, featuring music by Neal Hefti, Fred Sturm, Matt Harris, Erik Morales and Gordon Goodwin, among others.

The Northwest Jazz Combo will play pre-concert music, beginning at 6:45 p.m. Additionally, Northwest music student Austin Smith has composed an original piece that will receive its world premiere during the concert.

"Our students have worked diligently this year, and the bands sound fantastic," Dr. William Richardson, a Northwest professor of music who conducts the ensembles, said.

The Northwest Jazz Ensemble is an audition-based group of musicians dedicated to performing a variety of jazz and commercial music. The ensemble annually sponsors the Northwest District Jazz Band performance and the Northwest Jazz Festival. It also hosts numerous guest artists, who have included Jamey Aebersold, Buddy Baker, Jerry Coker, Roger Neumann, Jay Sollenberger, Willi Thomas, Clark Terry, Slide Hampton, Gary Foster and Mike Metheny.

The Northwest Studio Jazz Ensemble introduces its members to jazz style and improvisation. The group performs four concerts annually, and enrollment is open to students of all majors with no auditions necessary. Music education students who play secondary instruments or desire to enhance their skills are encouraged to participate.

April 26: Tower Choir

The final week of performances culminates with the Tower Choir presenting a concert of fresh, contemporary works at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 26. A livestream is available at https://vimeo.com/event/2597735.

Notable composers in the concert program will include Sydney Guillaume, Jennifer Lucy Cook, Eriks Esenvalds and Julio Morales, among others.

Formed in 1947 by Ralph E. Hartzell, the Tower Choir has a rich and varied history of outstanding choral performance and musical perfection. Since 1999, the ensemble has performed more than 150 concerts for high schools, colleges, universities, churches and other organizations throughout the United States. It has appeared in 15 peer-reviewed or invited concerts for learned societies, regional and state conventions, meetings and symposia, most recently the 2024 Nebraska Music Educators Association (NMEA) In-Service Workshop and Conference.