KWU Choir Readies for Celebration of Esteemed Retiring Faculty Member

Friday, May 9, will see a double celebration, as the Kansas Wesleyan Philharmonic Choir closes an active year with a concert dedicated to Barbara Marshall Nickell, who is retiring this year. The concert will begin at 7 p.m. in Sams Chapel on the KWU campus with a special reception to follow. Both parts of the event are free and open to the public.

Marshall joined the faculty in Fall 1987 and has been an integral part of Kansas Wesleyan since. The associate professor of Communication Studies and Theatre Arts has been involved with theatre on campus and in the community as actor, director and costumer since she moved to Salina. She was instrumental in fostering the Debate program, which won more than 65 national championships. From 2008-2024, she led the Fine Arts Division as a key faculty member and frequent department chair.

She was awarded the Kansas Speech Communication Association Collegiate Educator of the year in 2024. That same year, she was one of the first people to be inducted into the KWU Music Hall of Fame.

The Wesleyan Philharmonic Choir has had a busy year, with several professional-level performances, including performing Mozart's Requiem with the Salina Symphony on May 3 and 4, and singing many of the lead roles of "Sweeney Todd" in collaboration with Theatre Salina.

This ambitious concert will cover the gamut from religious standards and spirituals, selections from Disney films and "Wicked," and arias from operas. Students will be highlighted in solos and duets, and both the Philharmonic Choir and the select Wesleyan Choir will perform.

Release by Jean Kozubowski