Events & Tickets

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"Musical Tales from Near and Far," presented by the Andrews University Symphony Orchestra, is a FREE concert with special thanks to all the WAUS 90.7 listeners and sponsors for their continued support and dedication to our radio station. 

Repertoire

St. Joseph River Suite by Marvin Curtis, Bryan Edington

• Compilation of the original music composed for the PBS Michiana-WNIT documentary "Then, Now, and Always ... The St. Joseph River Story"
• Features local composers
• Images will be projected on the screen as the music plays

Peter and the Wolf Op. 67 by Sergei Prokofiev

• A musical tale for children

--Intermission--

Intermezzo from "La Boda de Luis Alonso" by Gerónimo Giménez

• A festive piece filled with flavors from Spain
• A favorite of the mariachi

Polovtsian Dances No. 8 & 17 by Alexander Borodin

• With participation of the University Chorale

Tunes From Around the World

Andrews University Wind Symphony presents a concert of tunes that represent various regions of the world. We begin with a march by a contemporary American composer and then musically travel to Australia, England, Jamaica, China, Peru and finally the Scottish Highlands. This concert will feature two student conductors, as well as a world premier. Join us for a wonderful evening of musical travel on Saturday, April 13, 2024 at 8:30 pm at the Howard Performing Arts Center. Tickets are available at howard.andrews.edu.

Important Note:  We will not be selling tickets on Saturday evening until sundown at  8:26 pm.  Plan to buy your tickets NOW online or by calling the box office (269-471-3560) so you will not miss the first 5 minutes of the concert.  See you there!!

Repertoire

March Grande Dame - Mark Grauer

Ye Banks and Braes O’Bonnie Doon - Percy Grainger

First Suite in Eb - Gustav Holst

     I. Chaccone
     II. Intermezzo
     III. March

Viva Musica! - Alfred Reed

Intermission

Jamaican Rumba - Benjamin/arr. Lang
     Earlon Cornwall, Graduate Student Conductor

Chinese Folk Suite - Barker

     I. Lion’s Dance
     II. Happy Bird Sings in Willow Tree
     V. Warriors of Xian

Rapsodia Peruana - Luis Enrique Vargas Guevara
     World Premier
     Nehemias, Graduate Student Conductor

Celtic Farewell - Michael Sweeney

Wintley Phipps is a pastor, world-renowned vocal artist and song-writer, motivational speaker and education activist. He is the founder, president and chief executive officer of the U.S. Dream Academy, Inc., a national after-school program that aims to break the cycle of intergenerational incarceration by giving children the skills and vision necessary to lead productive and fulfilling lives. Phipps' music ministry features a deep bass-baritone voice, usually singing inspirational gospel music.

Violinist Carla Trynchuk and pianist Elena Braslavsky will be performing a recital including works by Bach, Schumann and Szymanowski. Trynchuk, faculty at Andrews University, has performed internationally as soloist and recitalist in more than 15 countries. Braslavsky, formerly a faculty member at The Juilliard School and the Mannes School of Music, currently serves on the piano faculty of the Mozarteum University of Salzburg. Trynchuk and Braslavsky were classmates together at The Juilliard School.

“From Darkness Into Light”is the theme of the annual Easter choral concert held in the Howard Performing Arts Center on March 29, beginning at 7 p.m.  As a restructured Tenebrae Service, the concert narrative of “From Darkness Into Light” is portrayed through a select sequence of musical repertoires that contrast songs of introspection with jubilant expressions of praise.  The program begins with Craig Courtney’s poignant setting of A Better Resurrection by poet Christina Rossetti, and it is immediately followed by Johann Sebastian Bach’s Erschallet, ihr Lieder, erklinget, ihr Saiten (“Ring forth, o songs, resound, you strings!”).

The contrast in emotions and musical styles from one piece to the other continues throughout the concert, concluding with Tom Trenney’s arrangement of Kathleen Thomerson’s hymn: I Want to Walk As a Child of the Light.  The centerpiece of the concert is Elaine Hagenberg’s multi-movement work Illuminare; a multi-movement composition that express splendor, love, darkness, melodic tenderness, and radiance.  The concert presentation of Illuminare is a Michiana premiere performance conducted by Cyril Punay.   Mr. Punay is the assistant choral director during professor Stephen Zork’s spring semester sabbatical. 

The Andrews University Singers & University Chorale are pleased to collaborate with members of the Andrews University Symphony Orchestra (Dr. Marc Elysée, conductor) for the presentation “From Darkness into Light”.  Cyril Punay is aided by his graduate choral conducting colleagues –  Nicole Neugebauer, Janelle Dobson, and Jahaziel Gutierrez.

7:00 p.m. March 29, Howard Performing Arts Center – A freewill offering will be received

PROGRAM

A Better Resurrection……………………………………….………… Craig Courtney

Nicole Neugebauer, graduate conductor
 

Erschallet, ihr Lieder, erklinget, ihr Saiten.……..………… Johann Sebastian Bach

“Ring forth o songs, resound, you strings!

O most blessed time!

God Himself shall prepare our souls for His temple”
 

Janelle Dobson, graduate conductor

Carlos Lugo, harpsichord

Strings, Andrews University Symphony Orchestra

Jesu, The Very Thought of Thee…………………………………………. Paul Halley
 

Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing………………….………………. Tom Trenney

Jahaziel Gutierrez, graduate conductor
 

Exultate! Jubilate!…………………………..…………………………. Kyle Pederson

Cyril Punay, assistant director
 

~ Intermission ~

For The Beauty of the Earth………..…………………………………….. Eric Nelson

Janelle Dobson, graduate conductor
 

Illuminare………………………………………………...……….. Elaine Hagenberg

1. Splendor

2. Caritas

3. Nox

4. Munera pacis

5. Illuminare his
 

Cyril Punay, assistant director

Andrews University Symphony Orchestra

I Want to Walk As a Child of the Light…………………………….…… Tom Trenney

Nicole Neugebauer, graduate conductor

More information coming later…

Feel the buzz, thrill and chancy emotions of contemporary music. This program showcases the contemporary works of budding artists from Andrews University as well as music composed by faculty members and the host, Max Keller.

Please join the AU Symphony Orchestra for their concert on Saturday, March 9, 2024. The orchestra will be led by four student conductors from Andrews University: Earlon Cornwall, Jesus Parra, Nehemias Calsin and Jahazie Guttierez. Symphony Orchestra conductor Marc Elysee will introduce each piece of the program with historical notes and noteworthy musical details. On the side, some offbeat anecdotes about the composers will also be shared.

Program:

"Barber of Seville Overture" by Rossini

"Kaiser-Walter" by Strauss

--Intermission--

"Symphony no. 8" by A. Dvorak

  I.  Allegro con brio

  II. Adagio

  III. Alegretto grazioso

  IV. Allegro

Great Lakes Adventist Academy will present their annual vespers concert at the Howard Performing Arts Center on Friday, March 8, 2024, at 7:30 pm.  Their concert entitled "Share the Good News" will feature Chamber Singers, Handbell Choir, String Orchestra, and Wind Symphony. Please join us for this musical vespers.

The Andrews University Band & Keyboard Festival includes nearly 200 academy students from six states and Canada this year. Come enjoy these students' hard work at the concluding festival concert at 4 p.m., March 2, in the Howard Performing Arts Center. The festival band will be directed by Denisse Santos and Byron Graves, performing "Reluctant Joys" by Brant Karrick, "Joy in All Things" by Brian Balmages, "Be Thou My Vision" by Travis Cross, "Redemption" by Rossano Galante, "Rainbow in the Clouds" by Carol Brittin Chambers and "From Whom All Blessings Flow" by Ed Huckeby. The festival keyboard students are under the direction of Chi Yong Yun and will perform a variety of selections.

Admission is free.

Praises to the King

The Andrews University Wind Symphony and University Singers will present a vespers program focusing on "Praises to the King" on Friday, March 1, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. at the Howard Performing Arts Center. The program will feature songs of praise from the University Singers such as Kyle Pederson’s "Exultate Jubilate" and "Illuminare His" by Elaine Hagenberg, as well as the Wind Symphony’s renditions of arrangements of "Great is Thy Faithfulness," "Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow" and Rossano Galante’s "Resplendent Glory." The program will also feature several undergraduate and graduate student directors, as well as a world premiere of "Rex Caelestis," composed by graduate music student Earlon Cornwall. The concert is free to attend. 

Repertoire

Every Morning New - David R. Holsinger 
     Eleanor Joyce, student director

Voluntary on Old Hundredth - James Curnow
     Janelle Dobson, student director

Exultate Jubilate - Kyle Pederson

I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light - arr. Tom Trenney

Jesu the Very Thought of Thee - Gordon Slater, arr. Paul Halley

Illuminare His - Elaine Hagenberg
     Nicole Neugebauer, student director
     University Singers; Cyril Punay, assistant director

Rex Caelestis - Earlon Cornwall (Andrews University graduate music student)
     Jahaziel Gutierrez Escobar, student director

Resplendent Glory - Rossano Galante

Aleksandra Kemble, a native of Slovakia, holds a Doctor of Arts degree in flute performance from Ball State University. She is a versatile player who has participated in many master classes throughout Europe and studied with teachers that broadened her knowledge and passion for flute. Aleksandra holds the principal flute position with the LaPorte and Elkhart Symphonies and has performed with multiple orchestras in the Michiana region. Aleksandra is a devoted educator and holds several university positions as adjunct faculty of flute, including Andrews University. 

"A Rise to Justice: Telling the Stories of Adventist Regional Conferences"

A musical program celebrating the contributions of Black Adventists to faith and justice.

“The annual ‘Chasing Away the Blues’ concert by the Andrews University Singers and Chorale. This concert is a wonderful antidote to Michigan winters! Many of the repertoires are edifying, reflective, and nostalgic. There is an abundance of allusions to winter, sunlight, blue skies, cold, warmth, love, yearning and resting. Don't miss this special event!”

As Steve Green celebrates 38 years in the Christian music industry, he remains amazed at God’s patience and encompassing love. Green has been able to communicate the gospel in almost 50 countries around the world and looks forward to many more years with God’s grace and strength. “There are more songs to be written, more people who need to hear the glorious gospel of our Lord and more communities that need to be redeemed for God’s glory,” Steve says. “In the end it will be clear that He alone is the hero of not only my story, but of all our stories.”

Join us for our annual Young Artist Concert featuring the student winners of the Young Artist Concerto Competition!

Program:
 

Der Voglefänger from The Magic Flute by W. A. Mozart

Hai gia vinta la causa from The Marriage of Figaro by W. A. Mozart

Piano Concerto no. 1 (Mvt 1) by P. I. Tchaikovsky

==== Intermission ====

Piano Concerto no. 2 (Mvt 4) by J. Brahms

Pierrot’s Tanzlied from Die Tote Stadt by E. W. Korngold

Cello Concerto (Mvt. 1) by A. Dvorak

With four decades of performing under their belts, Canadian Brass continues to thrill audiences around the world. Their repertoire includes the works of Renaissance and Baroque masters, classical works, marches, holiday favorites, ragtime, Dixieland, Latin, jazz, Broadway and Christian music as well as popular songs and standards. They have transformed a previously neglected group of instruments with a limited repertoire into a versatile and vital ensemble that can play everything from Gabrieli to Gershwin! Whatever the style, the music is central and performed with utmost dedication, skill and excellence.

FREE MASTERCLASS

Canadian Brass will hold a FREE masterclass, open to the public, on Sunday, January 28, 2024 at 1:00 pm.  It will be held at the Howard Performing Arts Center concert hall and doors will open at 12:30 pm. Please invite your friends and family or other musicians to come attend and learn. 

CANCELLED!

We apologize for the inconvenience, but icy road conditions and severe winter weather in recent days has limited rehearsal time for both the AU Wind Symphony and the SMC Brass Band. As a result, our concert for January 27, 2024 is canceled. 

We value the safety of our performers as well as our patrons, and hope that you stay safe and warm during this time. We look forward to welcoming you at another of our concerts in the future. 

Anyone who has purchased tickets for this performance will be refunded in the coming days. For more information, please contact the Howard Performing Arts Center at hpac@andrews.edu.

Tunes & Traditions

Familiar tunes and time honored traditions are the theme of this musical evening with the Southwest Michigan College (SMC) Brass Band and the Andrews University (AU) Wind Symphony. Under the direction of Mark Hollandsworth, the SMC Brass Band will present music that represents Scottish traditions and Welsh tunes. The traditional Brass Band sounds and unique instruments are sure to please. In the second half, the AU Wind Symphony will present tunes that represent wind band traditions and composers that have significantly contributed to wind band literature. Among these are favorites from John Philip Sousa, Percy Grainger, and Gustav Holst. 

Repertoire

Dragons’ Rise - Matthew Hall

David of the White Rock - Traditional, arr. Philip Sparke

Airs and Dances - Alan Fernie

I. Pesante

II. Lento e Teneramente

III. Sensato

Southwestern Michigan College Brass Band

Mark Hollandsworth, Director

-Intermission-

Semper Fidelis - John Philip Sousa

Ye Banks and Braes O Bonnie Doon - Percy Grainger

First Suite in Eb - Gustav Holst

Hymn for the Innocent - Julie Giroux

Viva Musica! - Alfred Reed

Andrews University Wind Symphony

Denisse Santos, Director

This concert will feature a diverse set of music for clarinet quartet, with songs from classical, Broadway, cinema and popular genres. The performers include Jason Gresl, Byron Graves, Emily Mikel Rowe and Betsy Jaffee, informally known as the “Licorice Stick Brigade.”

Attention! This concert has been postponed to Saturday, April 6, 2024.

Thompson Productions in association with Hallelujah Praise Promotion presents Fresh Wind Series featuring Todd Galberth.

Todd is an American gospel singer and worship leader who has been singing all his life. Faith and music are an integral part of Todd's life. He grew up singing in church and had his first experiences as a devotional leader while still in his mid-teens.  He discovered that the sound and music of the church was directly related to the soul. His song is a prayer to the Lord that keeps him humble. He will be joined in concert by K-Anthony, The Branch Worship Collective and Faith Over Fear.

LAKE MICHIGAN YOUTH ORCHESTRA WINTER CONCERT

St. Joseph, Michigan–  Take time out from your busy holiday preparations to enjoy the music of the Lake Michigan Youth Orchestra. The Winter Concert is a unique opportunity for music lovers to experience the full artistic offerings from these ambitious and talented student musicians.

“LMYO is a great opportunity for kids from all over Berrien County to play music together,” youth symphony Conductor Burke Lokey said. “We are excited to share this wonderful concert with our community.”

TheWinter Concert will be conducted byBurke Lokey, and takes place Sunday, December 17^th at 3 pm atthe Howard Performing Arts Center on the campus of Andrews University in Berrien Springs. In addition to the youth orchestra, this performance will also feature Concert Strings conducted by Beth Oeseburg and Encore Strings conducted by Rachel Cabanilla-Sinnett. The Combined Strings will be conducted by both Oeseburg and Cabanilla-Sinnett.

This is an event that will provide concertgoers with entertainment and a chance to relax from the hustle and bustle of the preparations of the upcoming holidays. It will also provide younger concertgoers inspiration to see other students perform at this high level musically.

This program is made possible in part by a grant from the John & Dede Howard Fund held at the Berrien Community Foundation.

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Music Program

Concert Strings

Dragonhunter   Richard Meyer

Silver Bells    Jay Livingston & Ray Evans / arr. Robert S. Frost

Here comes Santa Claus   Gene Autry &  Oakley Haldeman / arr, Bob Cerulli

Encore Strings

Eine Kleine Nachtmusik   W.A. Mozart / arr. Roy Phillippe

Dance of the Toy Flutes  Tchaikovsky / arr. Richard Meyer

I’ll Be Home for Christmas   K. Gannon & W. Kent / arr. Gerry Jon Marsh

Encore and Concert Strings Combined

Irish Yuletide   arr. Bob Phillips

Snowflakes and Twinkle Lights   Beth Oeseburg

Youth Symphony

Symphony No. 7 Second Movement     Ludwig van Beethoven /arr. Richard Meyer

Finale from Symphony No. 5 Op. 47   Dimitri Shostakovich / arr. Stephen Bulla

A Charlie Brown Christmas      Vince Guaraldi & Lee Mendelson / arr. David Pugh

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Tickets are available by calling the SMSO office at 269-982-4030, visiting the website www.smso.org, and are also available at the door. The cost is $9 for adults, and $6 for students and seniors.

The Lake Michigan Youth Orchestra is the capstone of the Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra’s educational outreach programs. Members of the LMYO have the opportunity to participate in sectionals and rehearsals with members of the SMSO, and perform four concerts during the season. The youth orchestra program began in 1978 and over the past 45 years has retained the flexibility to adjust its focus to meet the changing needs of student musicians.

The LMYO program includes scholarships to summer music camps and free tickets to SMSO concerts. The Youth Symphony, Encore Strings, LMYO Winds and Concert Strings rehearse Monday evenings throughout the school year. Membership is by audition for all groups.

For more information about the Lake Michigan Youth Orchestra, see the educational link at www.smso.org, or call the SMSO office at 269-982-4030.

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For more information, contact the SMSO office at 269-982-4030 or visitwww.smso.org

For press inquiries regarding the Lake Michigan Youth Orchestra, contact Music Director, Burke Lokey at (646).226.7679 or Burke.Lokey@gmail.com. 

More information coming later…

More information coming later…

The award-winning Andrews University Singers and Chorale, conducted by Stephen Zork, collaborate with the Andrews University Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Marc Elysee, in the 25th annual presentation of Welcome Christmas. The theme of the concert is “Peace on Earth” and is comprised of a festive garland of heartwarming and endearing sacred and secular symphonic choral works and carols. The variety of musical offerings encompass Giacomo Puccini’s “Gloria” to Harry Simeon’s choral setting of “’Twas the Night Before Christmas.” Join us for this holiday concert featuring special guest soloists and presenters.

Bring in the sounds of the season with the Wind Symphony’s Christmas concert, “Christmas Through the Ages,” on Saturday, December 2 at 8:00 p.m. at the Howard Performing Arts Center. The program will feature familiar holiday tunes that will have you tapping your toes and singing along! Selections include a lively version of "Carol of the Bells" by Sean O’Loughlin, a fun arrangement of a famous John Philip Sousa march, "Christmas and Sousa Forever" by Julie Giroux, the ever popular "Sleigh Ride" by Leroy Anderson, as well as a few other surprises. We look forward to having you join us as we begin to celebrate the Christmas season.

Repertoire

"Sonate Octavi Toni" - Giovanni Gabrieli

"Celtic Carol" - Robert W. Smith

"O Magnum Mysterium" - Morten Lauridsen, arr. Reynolds

"Carol of the Bells" - arr. Sean O'Loughlin
Megan Case, student conductor

"Breath of Heaven" - Jay Dawson

"Christmas Sing A Long" - arr. James Ployhar

Intermission

"Christmas and Sousa Forever" - Julie Giroux
Luccas Souza, student conductor

"Many Moods of Christmas: Suite Two for Symphonic Band" - Shaw & Bennett/Transcribed by Rogers

"Christmas from the 50's" - Doug Wagner

"Sleigh Ride" - Leory Anderson

"Let There Be Peace on Earth" - arr. Doug Wagner
with Village Adventist Elementary School Children's Choir

Love, Dreams, & A Song

Join Elsie Mokaya in an amazing journey through music by all female composers titled “Love, Dreams and a Song.” Mokaya will collaborate with pianists Carlos Lugo and Tyler Ninalga. The recital will feature the music of Clara Schumann, Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel, Nadia Boulanger, Amy Beach, Rebecca Clarke, Blythe Owen, and Florence Price. Mokaya is a voice student of Professor Charles Reid.

SBYSO Concert "A Hero's Call"

Concert Orchestra

Conductor: Emilie Grondin

Repertoire:

John Williams, arr. Calvin Custer: Summon the Heroes

Andrew Osano: Summer Sunrise

Ludwig van Beethoven, arr. Merle Isaac: Symphony No. 1, mvt. 1

Symphony Orchestra

Conductor: Dr. Robert Boardman

Repertoire:

Mozart: Flute Concerto, mvt. 1 

     Ruthie Tan, soloist and 2023 SBYSO concerto competition winner 

     Desheng Huang, conductor 

Bruch: Violin Concerto no. 1, mvt. 3

     Reah Frydrych, soloist and 2023 SBYSO concerto competition winner 

Andrew Osano: A Hero's Call (Heroes of Newerth), concert premiere

Beethoven: Symphony no. 5 

An evening with Beethoven, Mozart & Haydn

Egmont Overture - Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)

Beethoven’s Overture to Egmont was composed as incidental music for a play written by German poet Goethe, which chronicles the sixteenth century story of Lamoral, Count Egmont of the Netherlands, who defied a Spanish attack led by the Duke of Alva.

Violin Concerto No. 5, KV 219 - W. A. Mozart (1756–1791)

Featuring Mailyn Iribar, violin soloist and winner of last year’s Young Artist Competition. This concerto is sometimes nicknamed “Turkish” in reference to the middle section of the third movement, which is characterized by a shift to A minor (from the original A major) and by the use of grotesque elements such as unison chromatic crescendos, repetition of very short musical elements and col legno playing in the cellos and double basses.

-:- Intermission -:-

Symphony No. 101 “The Clock” - Joseph Haydn (1732–1809)

Composed in 1794, this symphony is popularly known as The Clock because of the repeated eighth-note rhythm heard throughout the second movement. It is the ninth of twelve symphonies Haydn composed during his residencies in London in the 1790s.

Join pianist Chi Yong Yun and Andrews University Sinfonietta Orchestra under the direction of Marc Élysée as they perform piano concertos by Johann Samuel Schroeter. Schroeter was a noteworthy 18th-century pianist and composer, leading the development of piano technique and the piano concerto. He is considered a “piano specialist,” as all his compositions include the pianoforte.

"Songs of Hope, Songs of Praise"

The Andrews University Singers and the University Chorale will perform “Songs of Hope, Songs of Praise” in a distinctive presentation that melds music education with performance artistry. The concert will be led by graduate choral conducting students, Nicole Neugebauer and Janelle Dobson, under the tutelage of Stephen Zork, professor of music. Also showcased in the concert will be guest vocalist Charles Reid, associate professor voice.

The program features refined presentations of choral music from the renaissance era including "Call to Remembrance" by Ferrante and "O Magnum Mysterium" by Victoria to the present: "Wade in the Water" arranged by Dietz and "He Is Marvelous" by Powell. The hour and a half concert begins at 8 p.m. this Saturday evening November 4 in the Howard Performing Arts Center on the campus of Andrews University.

More information coming later …

Experience the vocal genius of the ten-time GRAMMY® winners who laid the foundation for so many a cappella groups that followed. Considered one of the most successful a cappella groups of all time, Take 6 was formed on the campus of Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama. Their music integrates jazz, pop, soul and gospel with spiritual and inspirational lyrics. Take 6 continues to push the boundaries of creativity and musical genius with every new release and their continually evolving live performances.

"An American Tribute" 

This program will feature a number of patriotic pieces that highlight various eras of the history of the United States. Selections will include Robert Russell Bennett's "Suite of Old American Dances," Larry Daehn's "With Quiet Courage," Carolyn Bremer's "Early Light" and Peter Wilhouky's popular rendition of "Battle Hymn of the Republic." We look forward to presenting the Wind Symphony's first concert of the 2023–2024 season under the direction of Denisse Santos.
 

Repertoire:

"The Star-Spangled Banner" (John Stafford Smith/arr. Bowles)

"The Chimes of Liberty" (Edwin Franko Goldman/arr. Schissel)
Alan Mitchell, guest director

"Suite of Old American Dances" (Robert Russell Bennett) 

"The Battle Cry for Freedom" (George Frederick Root/arr. Taylor)
Byron Graves, guest director

-Intermission-

"American Dream Fanfare" (Bruce A. Healey)

"With Quiet Courage" (Larry Daehn)
Luccas Souza, student director

"Early Light" (Carolyn Bremer) 

"For Those Who Have Served" (David Marlatt) 

"Battle Hymn of the Republic" (Peter J. Wilhousky/arr.Tokke) 

Beethoven's Ninth
Experience two epic live performances in one night! Opening the concert is Coleman’s "Seven O’ Clock Shout," a tribute to the heartwarming ritual of evening serenades that brought people together amidst isolation to celebrate life during the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by Beethoven’s famous "Ninth Symphony." The SMSO will perform these landmark works alongside the Southwest Michigan Symphony Chorus and other special guests. Truly a musical journey for the heart and mind, this is a night you won’t want to miss!

FEATURED GUEST SOLOISTS
Goitsemang Oniccah Lehobye, soprano
Lindsay Metzger, alto
John Riesen, tenor
David Weigel, bass

FEATURED GUESTS
Southwest Michigan Symphony Chorus

TICKET DETAILS
$38 Zone A | $23 Zone B | $6 Youth (ages 6–17)
Processing fees included in price.

EVENT SCHEDULE
2:30 p.m.—Doors open
3 p.m.—FREE Pre-Concert Conversation with Maestro Aubin (30 min.)
4 p.m.—Concert (80 min.)

Welcome to an all-American composers program brought to you by the Andrews University Symphony Orchestra with conductor Marc Élysée.

Repertoire

"Dovetail Overture, op. 12"—Robert Muczynski (1929–2010)
(born in Chicago, alumnus of DePaul University)

"Music for Orchestra"—Václav Nelhybel (1919–1996)

"Adagio for Strings, op. 11"—Samuel Barber (1910–1981)

-:- Intermission -:-

"Vitality"—Gala Flagello (b. 1994)
(brief introduction of the work by the composer herself)

"Rhapsody in Blue"—George Gershwin (1898–1937)

Program Title:  A Day and a Life

Jason Gresl and friends share a delightful collection of theatrical chamber music that celebrates the wonderful journey of life.

Performers:

Jason Gresl - clarinets, piccolo, saxophone
Aleksandra Kemble, flute
Tyler Ninalga, piano
William Loring, actor

Program:

Dance Preludes (1954)  by Witold Lutoslawski (1913-1994)

Allegro Molto 
Andantino
Andante
Allegro giocoso

La Voce Delle Nuvole Che Non Ci Sono Più (1992) by Nicola Campogrande (b. 1969)

Champagne with a Twist by Sean Brady (b. 1960) Penelope Fleming (b. 1972)

Nose (2005) by Roderik de Mann (b. 1941)

Begin Sweet World by Bill Douglas (b. 1944)

Ray by Jenni Watson (b. 1985)

Feast  by Bill Douglas

Special Thanks to: Department of Music, Howard Performing Arts Center, Mark Rigney, Lara Turner, Neil Parsons, Hilary Abigaña, Myra Su, William Loring, South Bend Civic Theatre

About the Musicians

From playing bass clarinet while upside-down in front of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra to an impromptu performance of Mozart’s clarinet quintet just after almost drowning in the Panama Canal, woodwind specialist Jason Gresl spends his days diving from one artistic adventure into another. Jason is Utility Clarinetist for the Symphony of the Lakes and Laporte County Symphony, and regularly performs locally with South Bend Symphony, Holland Symphony, and Southwest Michigan Symphony. Chamber music appearances have included Ensemble Concept 21, The Playground Ensemble, The Barton Workshop, Grupo Montebello, and the South Bend Symphony Woodwind Quintet and his duo, Claricello. Jason frequently performs in the pit for musicals around the country. He played on the national tour of Elf:The Musical, and has performed the South Bend leg of national tours for Wicked, Chicago,The Book of Mormon, and Phantom of the Opera. Regional credits also include In the Heights, Urinetown, Little Women, The Sound of Music, and most recentlyWest Side Story. Since 2019, he has also been onstage in multiple productions of Paula Vogel’s play, Indecent - at the Chautauqua Institution, Weston Playhouse, Milwaukee Chamber Theater, and The Arden Theater. In 2019, Jason began touring with Chicago-based puppet theater Manual Cinema’s production of Frankenstein sharing the stage in California, Utah, Florida, and northern Canada. This season he will join them again in Boston, Seattle and Ecuador. Jason teaches clarinet and saxophone at Andrews University, Lake Michigan College, Saint Mary’s College, and Indiana University - South Bend.

Aleksandra Kemble came to the U.S. in 2002. She studied at the Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw, Poland where she obtained her Master's degree in flute performance and continued her studies in the United States receiving both "Artist" and "Performer" Diplomas from Indiana University. Mrs. Kemble expanded her musical knowledge and experience through attending master classes throughout Europe (Austria, Holland, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Switzerland, Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia) and is now the principal flutist with the Elkhart Symphony. She has also appeared regularly with the Southwest Michigan Symphony, LaPorte Symphony Orchestra, Symphony of the Lakes, Kalamazoo Philharmonia and had been frequently invited to play at the Round Barn Theater in Nappanee, Indiana.

Aleksandra Kemble received her Suzuki training and certification in "Every Child Can", a course on the Suzuki philosophy and its application to education and Suzuki teaching, from the Suzuki Association of the Greater Washington Area in Virginia in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 and is now certified a Suzuki teacher. Mrs. Kemble now maintains a private flute studio in her home in Mishawaka, and continues to spread her knowledge and experience by teaching at many local schools throughout the community.

Born and raised in Toronto, Canada,Tyler Ninalga started piano lessons at the age of five under the tutelage of Imelda Monardo. At age eleven, Tyler enrolled in the Ontario Conservatory of Music, where we studied under the Royal Conservatory Music Certificate (RCM) Program. He concluded his studies under the RCM Program after completing the Grade 10 Practical Examination for piano. Tyler has participated in numerous festivals and competitions across Canada and the United States. A few notable examples include the Walla Walla University Piano Festival (2018, grand prize recipient), Montecito International Music Festival (2019), Andrews University Young Artist Competition (2019-2020, winner), and Southern Adventist University Concerto Competition (2019-2020, finalist).

Outside his solo performance studies, Tyler is an active collaborator in the Department of Music. He currently is the pianist for the Andrews University Chorale ensemble and a percussionist for the Wind Symphony. He is also a part of a chamber quartet ensemble with fellow music performance majors Jason Marquez (clarinet), Jamison Moore (cello), and Glorie Bojilov (violin). Tyler Ninalga is currently pursuing his Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance at Andrews University under the tutelage of Olena Rybachok. He is a Dare to Dream Scholarship recipient.

Bill Loring spends his time both behind the scenes and on stage. He serves as the Construction Manager at the South Bend Civic Theatre.  He has performed with The Acting Ensemble, South Bend Civic Theatre, Notre Dame’s Department of Film, Television, and Theater and others. Recent performances include Spamalot ,The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, Legally Blonde, and The Full Monty.

Heritage Singers is a non-profit gospel music ministry based in California with a goal to bring people closer to Jesus through praising Him through music. When founders Max and Lucy Mace began this ministry, they never thought they would still be doing this 51 years later. The Heritage Singers have had the opportunity to travel to over 80 different countries, travel over two million miles, and perform over 7,000 concerts. Max Mace believes that “If there ever was a time to share the Good News about Jesus, it’s now.”

Join us for a complimentary concert featuring the Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Marc Elysee, the University Singers & Chorale, conducted by Stephen Zork, and the Wind Symphony, conducted by Denisse Santos. A dessert reception will be held after the program.

Kodachrome is a saxophone quartet of four graduate students from Arizona State University. One of the primary goals of Kodachrome is to promote contemporary underrepresented composers and provoke the general public’s interest in concert music. Kodachrome Quartet won the gold medal in the 2023 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition—Senior Wind Division.  

PC: Brittany Anne Photography

A classical recital by the Ong Sisters on piano and violin.
 

Isabel Ong

Violinist Isabel Ong is an avid chamber musician with a passion for contemporary music and has performed at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, David Geffen Hall, National Sawdust, and MOMA and most recently, was invited to perform in the Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra in Switzerland. An advocate for using the power of music to serve a greater humanitarian purpose, Isabel has organized and performed concerts with ASAP (Advocates for Southeast Asians and the Persecuted) honoring their non-profit service of spreading higher education and implementing healthier and cleaner living conditions for the people of Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam. Whenever she is able to, Isabel travels to Taiwan to collaborate with the Adventist Women’s Ministry and other missionaries to promote the arts.

During the 2017-2018 season, Isabel was an inaugural member of the Spark Collective, an ensemble designed to perform new works by current compositional students at the University of South Carolina, and curate and perform interactive concerts for the community. Recently, Isabel was director of a chamber music seminar held at Colgate University with the Manhattan String Quartet. Isabel is also a co-founder of a contemporary string quartet based in Buffalo, NY - fra/ctured. An equally dedicated teacher, Isabel is currently teaching at SUNY Fredonia, Mercyhurst University, Buffalo String Works, and spends her summers on faculty at Point CounterPoint in Vermont. She holds degrees from Juilliard and the University of South Carolina (BM, MM, and DMA). In her free time, Isabel can be found poring over a good book.

Wen-Ting Ong

Dr. Wen-Ting Ong (Ting) is a Boston- based Collaborative Pianist and Teaching Artist.  Ting was formerly a Company Rehearsal and Class-Technique Pianist at Boston Ballet/School and Walnut Hill School of the Arts. During her time there, she rehearsed works such as Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Raymonda Variations, Balanchine’s Four Temperaments, Divertimento No. 15, Balanchine’s Jewels, Claudia Schreier’s Slipstream, Jorma Elo’s Ruth’s Dance and others. Her Boston debut as a composer began with a project in collaboration with Julianna Utz’s Turning Key Dance Company in creating a modern sound-world based on L.M. Alcott's Little Women. They performed in celebration of the 150th Anniversary of Little Women's publication in Concord, MA. In 2021, Ting was invited as a guest rehearsal pianist to Vail Dance Festival in Vail, CO. She worked on Balanchine’s Stars and Stripes with James Whiteside and Mira Nadon and Balanchine’s Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux with Tiler Peck, Joseph Gordon, and Roman Meija. 

Ting is currently at the Boston Conservatory as a Ballet and Modern-Technique Staff Pianist with the Dance and Music Department. Ting hopes to one day, create an arts collective to dance and perform her original works and reimaginings. Her compositional and improvisation style is a synthesis of minimalism, quartal and quintal harmonies, and hyper rhythmic energy inspired by her Taiwanese aboriginal roots. Her most recent original works include a May debut at Boston’s Citizens Opera House featuring a piano solo  for Boston Ballet’s Post-Graduate Ensemble and she also helped inaugurate The Asian American Ballet Project in July by writing a piece with choreographer, Junichi Fukuda. 

Recital Repertoire

Violin Partita No. 1 in B minor, BWV 1002
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

I. Allemanda
II. Double
III. Courante
IV. Double
V. Sarabande
VI. Double
VII. Tempo di Bourree
VIII. Double

Virtuosic Etude No. 1, Liza
Earl Wilde (1915-2010)

Imperfect as One
Wen-Ting Ong (1989- )

Dancers: Naoko Brown, Junichi Fukuda

Sonata in E-flat Major, Op. 18
Richard Strauss (1864-1949)

I. Allegro, ma non troppo
II. Improvisation: Andante Cantabile
III. Finale: Andante-Allegro

Choir group Sola Gratia Chorale is here in the United States for a musical tour. The group, which was established and founded by Cyril Punay in 2019, is made up of students who are attending Adventist University of the Philippines. They have been singing at churches and congregations in the Midwest with great reviews.

Cyril Punay has recently been studying at Andrews University, working on his graduate degree in choral conducting. He serves as graduate assistant and assistant conductor of the Andrews University Singers under the tutelage of Stephen Zork, professor of music and conductor of the University Singers and Chorale.

Please join us for the Ruth Murdoch Elementary School vocal concert on Tuesday evening, May 23, 2023, at 7 p.m.

Please join us for the Ruth Murdoch Elementary School vocal concert on Tuesday evening, May 16, 2023, at 7 p.m.

More information coming later …

More information coming later …

Maestro Aubin celebrates his personal connection to French culture with a mixture of French and American music. Aubin welcomes back Mitsuru Kubo and Jeremy Crosmer to perform hidden gems by Fernande Decruck, a composer near and dear to his heart. Musicians from LMYO join the SMSO on music from Aaron Copland’s "Rodeo." The season closes with Gershwin's "An American in Paris."

Repertoire

"Rodeo: Four Dance Episodes," Aaron Copland, 1942

"Sonata in C# for alto saxophone and orchestra," Fernande Decruck

"Cello Concerto," Fernande Decruck

"An American in Paris," George Gershwin

The final concert of the 2022–2023 Andrews University Wind Symphony season features a number of classic works and transcriptions for band, including "Overture to Candide," "Courtly Airs and Dances," "Elegy for a Young American" and "Shepherd’s Hey."

We will feature two faculty soloists: Charles Reid, tenor, in John Philip Sousa’s waltz "I’ve Made My Plans for the Summer," and Max Keller on flugelhorn in a beautiful transcription of Joaquin Rodrigo’s adagio from the "Concierto de Aranjuez" for guitar.

The program will also feature student conducting appearances by Nicole Neugebauer ("Fanfare and Flourishes" by James Curnow) and Jason Marquez ("Joy from Awakening" by Joseph Curiale), as well as fun arrangements of Disney’s "Under the Sea" and several of Duke Ellington’s classic tunes. You won’t want to miss this exciting concert!

Repertoire

1. "Fanfare & Flourishes" (James Curnow)  
2. "Overture to 'Candide'" (Leonard Bernstein, trans. Grundman)  
3. "Adagio from 'Concierto de Aranjuez'" (Rodrigo, trans. Bolton)   
4. "Elegy for a Young American" (Ronald Lo Presti)  
5. "Courtly Airs & Dances" (Ron Nelson)   

-Intermission-

1. "Joy from 'Awakening'" (Charles Rochester)   
2. "I’ve Made My Plans for the Summer" (John Philip Sousa)  
3. "Under the Sea" (Alan Menken, arr. Nowak)     
4. "Classic Duke" (Luther Henderson, adapted Paul Murtha)    
5. "Shepherd’s Hey" (Percy Grainger)

Please join the Andrews University Symphony Orchestra as they perform the "WAUS Thank-You" concert on April 15, 2023. Our featured soloists for this concert are faculty Carla Trynchuk and Chris Wild. 

Repertoire:

"Clair de lune" by Claude Debussy (1862–1918)

"Concerto for Violin, Violoncello and Orchestra, Op. 102" by Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)

     I.   Allegro
     II.  Andante
     III. Vivace non troppo

     Featuring: Carla Trynchuk, violin, and Chris Wild, violoncello

"Festive Overture in A major, Op. 96" by Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–1975)

Please join us for the Easter Tenebrae Choral Concert, "From Darkness Into Light," on Friday, April 7, 2023, at 8 p.m. brought to us by the Andrews University Singers conducted by Stephen Zork. Guest conductors will include graduate students Janelle Dobson, Nicole Neugebauer and Cyril Punay.

Violinist Carla Trynchuk and pianist Elena Braslavsky will be performing a recital including works by Bach, Schubert, Weinberg and the Ukrainian composer Lysenko. Trynchuk, faculty at Andrews University, has performed internationally as a soloist and recitalist in more than 15 countries.  Braslavsky, formerly a faculty member at The Juilliard School and the Mannes School of Music, currently serves on the piano faculty of the Mozarteum University of Salzburg. Trynchuk and Braslavsky were classmates together at The Juilliard School.

Music Notes:

Feel the buzz, thrill and chancy emotions of contemporary music. This program showcases the contemporary works of budding artists from Andrews University, as well as music composed by faculty members and the host, Dr. Max Keller.

More information coming later …

More information coming later …

For our annual Vespers Concert as part of the Andrews University Music Festival, we present a wide of variety of inspirational sacred music for wind band. There will be inventive hymn arrangements (Beautiful River by Carol Brittin Chambers and In Mansions of Glory by David Gillingham), folk tunes adapted to hymns (Irish Tune from County Derry by Percy Grainger and O Waly Waly by Christopher Nelson), original spiritual works (Alleluia! Laudamus Te by Alfred Reed and Amen! by Frank Ticheli), and a suite of fresh-sounding shaped-note hymns (Spangled Heavens by Donald Grantham). Two student conductors (Jason Marquez and Nicole Neugebauer) will also be featured.

Join Eun-Jung Auh, soprano, and Chi Yong Yun, pianist, as they showcase art songs by two of the most significant instrumental composers of the classical era: Franz Joseph Haydn and Ludwig van Beethoven. The new capabilities of the powerful English pianoforte inspired the development of the Art Song by these two composers. Haydn’s English songs, the canzonettas, left a strong impression on his protege, Beethoven. Beethoven’s "An die fern Geliebte (To the Distant Beloved)" has long been considered the first song cycle by a major composer and subsequently influenced the lieder of F. Schubert, R. Schumann and many others.

Robert & Lillis Kingman Lecture Series on Science and Society presents: Mary Higby Schweitzer, PhD, "Dinosaurs Under the Microscope."

This event is FREE and co-curricular credit is available for students.

This Saturday night at 8 p.m. the Andrews University Chorale and Singers will present thoughtful and edifying narratives on the seasons of life, love, gratitude, passion, hope, and justice. This seasonal concert is offered as a balm to help melt the winter blues away. Some of the concert’s repertoire includes:

• Nobel Prize laureate Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changing” – The words to his song are more poignant than ever before

• “And So It Goes” by Billy Joel illustrates how heartache and lost love are respectfully entwined with abiding hope

• Kim André Arnesen’s “What is Peace?” – Peace is fire! Peace is passion! Peace must be waged against war!

• Charles Reid, internationally renowned tenor and Andrews University DOM faculty joins the University Singers in a set of pieces by Mark Miller –  “I Believe”, “Lament”, and “Show Us How to Love”. The eloquence of the message and delivery make this an elegant centerpiece in the program

• Susan Zork’s “Love Unsurpassed” – An endearing song written for and sung to her first and only love

• Andrea Ramsey’s “Tell My Father, I Love Him” – In sweet devotion to his father, the music shares excerpts from the letter of a dying civil war soldier

The concert concludes with words of assurance from an Irish proverb “…When times are hard, may hardness never turn your heart to stone…” and eloquently expressed in Elaine Hagenberg’s setting of “You Do Not Walk Alone”.

Please join us for an evening of music with the Great Lakes Adventist Academy's Wind Symphony, Hand Bells, String Orchestra, and Chamber Choir under the direction of Michael Sandvik and Christianna Greene.  They will also be performing at the Niles Westside SDA Church on February 11, 2023 for church service.

In anticipation of Valentine's Day, join internationally renowned tenor Charles Reid and friends from the Andrews University Department of Music in an eclectic and fun evening on the theme of love.

More information coming later …

Come join us for the Wind Symphony Winter Concert, featuring our annual partnership with the Southwestern Michigan College Brass Band under the direction of conductor Mark Hollandsworth. We will feature a wide variety of music, including George Gershwin’s "Strike up the Band," music from "The Incredibles," the Mexican masterpiece "Huapango" by José Moncayo, a collection of French folksongs ("In the Forest of the King"), and music from the anime film "Howl’s Moving Castle."

Repertoire:

Music by SMC Brass Band

-INTERMISSION-

"Strike Up the Band" (George Gershwin/arr. Warren Barker)

"Huapango!" (José Moncayo/arr. Leory Osmon)

"In The Forest of the King" (Pierre LaPlante)

Music from "The Incredibles" (Michael Giacchino/arr. Jay Bocook)

"Howl’s Moving Castle: Symphonic Fantasy for Band" (Joe Hisaishi/arr. Yo Goto)

Join pianists Geoffrey Duce and Chi Yong Yun as they play a program of four-hand piano repertoire including works by Schubert, Bizet and Piazzolla. 

Join Rich Aguilera in this exciting, family-friendly show as he teams up with his puppet friends to discover secrets of God’s creation and His love for you! Rich always keeps his audience on the edge of their seat with adventure, humor, surprises and audience interaction, all while teaching Biblical truths about our Creator. The show will be utilizing a variety of bright and colorful puppets and props that will captivate the kids’ attention. There will be some audience interaction so be ready to participate, if you feel like it.

CANCELLED!  This concert has been cancelled due to unforseen circumstances. We regret the inconvenience caused.  Keep safe and have a wonderful holiday season.

More information coming later …

More information coming later …

More information coming later …

Garland of Carols & Handel's Messiah

You are cordially invited to attend the annual "Welcome Christmas Concert" with inspiring choral music presented by the Andrews University Singers and Chorale under the direction of Stephen Zork, with graduate assistant conductor Cyril Punay. The concert begins with an anthem setting "He Shines" composed by Andrews University student musician Grant Steinweg, based on the words from the New Testament Gospel John 1. "He Shines" is followed by "My King is Comin’ Soon" by Kyle Pederson that introduces a festive garland of heartwarming carols including Will Todd’s "My Lord Has Come," the stirring setting of "Silent Night" by Peter Angela led by graduate conductor Janelle Dobson, the sprightly "Dance and Sing" by Ryan Murphy led by graduate conductor Nicole Neugebauer, and Dan Forrest’s festive "Oh Come, All Ye Faithful."

The centerpiece of the concert is the Christmas portion of Handel’s "Messiah" with a baroque instrumental ensemble from the Andrews University Symphony Orchestra. The featured vocal soloists are Ryan Clough, tenor; Elsie Mokaya, soprano; Safari Dushime, soprano; Davielle Smith, alto; Raleigh Pettey, baritone; Robby Raney, bass.

The concert is a collaborative presentation designed to inspire all in attendance to depart as servants to everyone that Jesus Christ came to save.

8 p.m. / Dec. 9, 2022 / Howard Performing Arts Center

Free admission—a freewill offering will be received.

Please join us for the Andrews University Symphony Orchestra Christmas concert on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022, at 8 p.m.  

Program

"Piano Concerto No. 2 Op. 21," Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849)

I. Maestoso                           

II. Larghetto                           

III. Allegro vivace   

Gabriel Palacios, soloist

Intermission

"Christmas Eve Suite," Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (1844–1908)

Tableau I, Introduction

Tableau VI, Games and Dances of the Stars

Tableau VII, Polonaise

Tableau VIII, Vakula’s Return Journey

"A Most Wonderful Christmas," Robert Sheldon (b. 1954)

And more …

“An artist of exceptional eloquence and versatility” …

Thus one of the most distinguished music critics (Enrique Franco) defined the personality of the pianist Marisa Blanes, confirmed in the course of an extended career in concert-performance, research and teaching.

Following her training at the Valencia Senior Music Conservatory, culminating with the “Graduation” Prize and completed at the Robert Schumann Institut in Düsseldorf with David Levine, where she graduated “Summa cum Laude” for her piano virtuosity, and in the discipline of chamber music at the Hochschule für Musik in Cologne with the Amadeus Quartet, Marisa Blanes has incorporated the teaching of the great maestros (Jeanne Marie Darré, Aldo Ciccolini, Vitali Margulis, Alexei Nassedkin and Paul Badura Skoda … ) to develop an outstanding national and international piano career.

The traditional repertoire of universal music can be heard in her solo concerts, along with the contemporary repertoire of Spanish music in particular, with regular premiers of Spanish composers’ works, some composed for and dedicated to her (Tomás Marco, José Luis Turina, Claudio Prieto, César Cano, Carlos Cruz de Castro, Antonio Noguera, Esteban Sanz).

FREE Admission.

Kick off your holiday season with some great festive music from the Andrews University Wind Symphony! Performing under the direction of Byron Graves, the Wind Symphony will present “On Holiday” at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19, in the Howard Performing Arts Center.

The program will be a musical tour to various destinations you might visit while on holiday, be that the Isle of Man ("Mannin Veen" by Haydn Wood), France or Cuba (excerpts from Gershwin’s "American in Paris" and "Cuban Overture"), Puerto Rico ("So Wondrous Bright" by Carol Chambers) or just going to the local fair ("The Purple Carnival" by Harry Alford). Then we will continue the holiday whirlwind right into the Christmas season, with favorites like "The Polar Express," "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and many other familiar carols. You won’t want to miss it!

Repertoire:

"The Purple Carnival March" (Harry Alford)   
"Mannin Veen" (Haydn Wood)     
"The Symphonic Gershwin" (arr. Warren Barker)    
"Greensleeves" (arr. Alfred Reed)     
"So Wondrous Bright" (Carol Brittin Chambers)    

INTERMISSION

"I Saw Three Ships" (arr. Larry Kerchner)     
"Rhapsody on Christmas Carols" (Claude Smith)     
"The First Noel" (arr. Julie Giroux)       
"A Charlie Brown Christmas" (arr. Carl Strommen)    
"A Fireside Christmas" (arr. Sammy Nestico)    
"Selections from 'The Polar Express'" (arr. Jerry Brubaker)

Violinist Laurie Smukler, violin faculty at The Juilliard School, and pianist Kenneth Logan will perform a recital including works by Mozart, Ravel and Schubert. Before joining the faculty at The Juilliard School, she was founding first violinist of the Mendelssohn String Quartet. She has recorded for Music Masters and is currently artistic director of the Kneisel Hall Festival.

Jaime Jorge will be in concert at the Howard Performing Arts Center on Saturday, Nov. 12, at 6 p.m. This concert is free of charge for admission and is also a fundraiser for Care for Cuba. Care for Cuba (https://careforcuba.org/) trains and empowers pastors, Bible workers, and volunteers to do evangelism and Bible studies in Cuba. Your generous donations given at the concert will go to support crucial ministry resources for the churches and pastors there.

Join the Andrews University Department of Music voice students for the 9th Annual Voice Vespers in a meditative evening of scripture and song. Entrance is free. Co-curricular credit is available.

Andrews Academy is delighted to present the 11th Concerto Night on Saturday, Nov. 5, at 8 p.m., at the Howard Performing Arts Center on the campus of Andrews University. Five outstanding young musicians will perform a movement of a concerto accompanied by the Andrews Academy Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Elsy M. Gallardo-Díaz. 

Featured students this year are Jasmine Patterson (Vivaldi's "Winter from 'The Four Seasons'"), Karan Chun (Haydn's "Violin Concerto No. 1 in G major"), Ana Slavujevic (Mozart's "Flute Concerto No. 1 in G major"), Lora Baker (Lalo's "Symphonie espagnole"), and Nathaniel Miller (Beethoven's "Piano concerto No. 3 in C minor").

Come and support the soloists. Invite family and friends!

FREE admission.

More information coming soon ... 

The Rodney Marsalis Philadelphia Big Brass is America’s premier large brass ensemble. A group that always reflects the diverse makeup of men and women in the American culture, RMPBB is dedicated to the notion that music is a gift to be enjoyed by everyone. RMPBB is a family-owned and operated business that had its beginnings on the streets of New Orleans. Performances by The Rodney Marsalis Philadelphia Big Brass range from solo trumpet, to brass quintet, to the full 11-piece ensemble with percussion.

More information coming later …

Sunday Music Series with the Southwestern Michigan Symphony Orchestra, featuring Kimberly Kaloyanides Kennedy, violin

Kimberly Ann Kaloyanides Kennedy started playing with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra at the age of 22 while studying at the University of Michigan. In 2003, Kennedy further realized her dream when she became Associate Concertmaster. She enjoys performing chamber music regularly around Michigan with various groups and solos regularly with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. She is passionate about serving others through her music, both at church and around the community.

The Andrews University Wind Symphony presents its fall concert, "The Old Warhorse" on Saturday, Oct. 15, at 8 p.m. in the Howard Performing Arts Center. An “old warhorse” in the band world is vernacular for a piece that is well known and popular for a long history of successful performance. This program will feature a number of pieces in this category, including John Philip Sousa’s "Washington Post March," Alfred Reed’s "El Camino Real," selections from Meredith Wilson’s hit musical "The Music Man," and a transcription of Franz von Suppé’s overture "Light Cavalry."

Additionally, we will introduce the audience to two candidates for “new warhorse”: Eric Whitacre’s lush fall music, "October," and Oja Gjeilo’s rhythmic groove piece, "Meridian." You won’t want to miss this concert as the Wind Symphony performs its first full concert of the 2022–2023 season.

Repertoire

1. "Washington Post March" (John Philip Sousa) 3:30
2. "Highlights from 'The Music Man'" (Meredith Wilson/arr. Reed) 5:00
3. "October" (Eric Whitacre) 6:30
4. "El Camino Real: A Latin Fantasy" (Alfred Reed) 10:00    

-Intermission-

1. "Flourish for Wind Band" (Ralph Vaughan Williams) 2:00
2. "Light Cavalry" (Franz von Suppé/ed. Schissel) 7:00
3. "Danzon from 'Fancy Free'" (Leonard Bernstein/arr. Krance) 2:45       
4. "Meridian" (Ola Gjeilo) 7:30
5. "A.B.A. Symphonic March 'Kitty Hawk'" (John Cheetham) 4:30

Total length of music: 48:45 minutes

Anthony Brown is a creative force in music with unparalleled talent as a songwriter, vocal director, producer, worship leader and singer. Brown, along with his background singers, group therAPy, emerged as a breakthrough artist with their first album in 2012, and they have been going forward ever since with four albums to date. “Uplifting” and “invoking a fresh and joyous spirit” have been words used to describe Brown & group therAPy’s music. 

More information coming later …

The Senior Wind Gold Medalist ensemble of the largest chamber music competition in the nation is making a stop on their Winner’s Tour across the Midwest. Mixed Media, a sax quartet from Georgia, is described as warm, thoughtful and of generous spirits in addition to being excellent musicians.  Mixed Media features Michael Chapa on soprano saxophone, Julien Berger on alto saxophone, Lindsey Welp on tenor saxophone, and Grace Gelpi on baritone saxophone. The quartet formed as students at the University of Georgia, studying with Dr. Connie Frigo.

Mixed Media aims to challenge and delight audiences with new interpretations of contemporary saxophone quartet music. The quartet will perform a stylistically diverse program of works by Eugène Bozza, Viet Cuong, Jean Françaix, George Frideric Handel, Jennifer Higdon, Takuma Itoh, Fabien Lévy, Matthew Levy and David Salleras Quintana.

COVID-19 Safety Measures

We encourage you (our guests) to be vaccinated or have recently tested negative for COVID-19. Please self-screen for symptoms and exposures prior to attending a concert. You should not attend events if symptomatic or if you meet Health Department criteria for isolation or quarantine. Wearing of masks is encouraged.

The University is continually monitoring transmission data for the area as well as recommendations from both local and federal agencies. The University may alter mitigation protocols to address changes in risk. This could include requiring the wearing of masks/face coverings and up to canceling or postponing an event. 

More information coming later ... 

COVID-19 Safety Measures

We encourage you (our guests) to be vaccinated or have recently tested negative for COVID-19. Please self-screen for symptoms and exposures prior to attending a concert. You should not attend events if symptomatic or if you meet Health Department criteria for isolation or quarantine. Wearing of masks is encouraged.

The University is continually monitoring transmission data for the area as well as recommendations from both local and federal agencies. The University may alter mitigation protocols to address changes in risk. This could include requiring the wearing of masks/face coverings and up to canceling or postponing an event. 

COVID-19 Safety Measures

We encourage you (our guests) to be vaccinated or have recently tested negative for COVID-19. Please self-screen for symptoms and exposures prior to attending a concert. You should not attend events if symptomatic or if you meet Health Department criteria for isolation or quarantine. Wearing of masks is encouraged.

The University is continually monitoring transmission data for the area as well as recommendations from both local and federal agencies. The University may alter mitigation protocols to address changes in risk. This could include requiring the wearing of masks/face coverings and up to canceling or postponing an event. 

SMSO: Symphonic Stories

Featuring Timothy Verville, Music Director Finalist and Evgenia Pirshina, contralto

The SMSO presents an afternoon of stories brought to life by great music. Engelbert Humperdinck's Overture to "Hansel and Gretel" opens this symphonic storybook with a familiar fable. Russian-American contralto Evgenia Pirshina joins the SMSO performing a selection of songs by Gustav Mahler. Known for primarily creating massive orchestral works, Mahler asserts his compositional prowess by melding short stories with beautifully crafted music. The final chapter of this literary journey concludes with Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade. Using several tales from the famous 1,001 Arabian Nights, and featuring SMSO concertmaster Whun Kim, this dazzling display of orchestral fireworks is not to be missed.

PROGRAM

Engelbert Humperdinck, Overture to "Hänsel und Gretel"
Gustav Mahler, "Five Selected Songs"

"Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen"
"Rheinlegendchen"
"Wer hat dies Liedlein erdacht?"
"Wo die schonen Trompeten blasen"
"Urlicht, from Symphony No. 2"

Evgenia Pirshina, contralto

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, "Scheherazade Op.35"

About the Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra

The Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra has been an integral part of the cultural fabric of our community since 1951, known for presenting innovative programming. The SMSO is a 501(c)(3) non-for-profit organization that relies on private support and volunteers to fund and maintain its array of musical, educational and community programs.

Find the Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra online at:

Facebook: @SMSOrchestra

Instagram: @thesmso

Twitter: @SWMichiganSymph

Website: www.smso.org

The final concert of the 2021–2022 Andrews University Wind Symphony season features a number of classic works and transcriptions for band, including selections from "Lincolnshire Posy" and "Pictures at an Exhibition." The title piece, "Tempered Steel," is a tribute to all who have endured the pandemic of the past two years. The program will feature student conducting appearances by Cyril Punay and Jason Marquez and a horn solo performed by our horn section leader, Erin Penrod. There will also be a musical tribute to the people of Ukraine. The program is free to the public as a thank-you to all the wonderful WAUS members.

Repertoire

1. "March of the Belgian Paratroopers" (Pierre Leemans)
2. "Andante" from "Horn Concerto" (Gliere, arr. Cheseaux)
3. "Elsa’s Procession to the Cathedral" (Richard Wagner, trans. Calliet)
4. Selections from "Lincolnshire Posy" (Percy Grainger)

Intermission

5. "Tempered Steel" (Charles Rochester)
6. "Sunrise at Angel's Gate" (Philip Sparke)
7. "Symphony No. 1: The Lord of the Rings" (Johann de Meij)
8. "Prayer for Ukraine" (Mykola Lysenko, arr. Patrick Dunnigan)
9. "Promenade & The Great Gate of Kiev" (Mussorgsky/trans. Leidzen)

Conductor: Byron Graves

The Andrews University Wind Symphony maintains a significant travel schedule throughout the Great Lakes area and seeks to provide high-quality music programs and concerts representative of Adventist education and Andrews University. The Wind Symphony has performed in England, France, Spain, Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Canada and throughout the United States.

COVID-19 Safety Measures

We encourage you (our guests) to be vaccinated or have recently tested negative for COVID-19. Please self-screen for symptoms and exposures prior to attending a concert. You should not attend events if symptomatic or if you meet Health Department criteria for isolation or quarantine. Wearing of masks is encouraged.

The University is continually monitoring transmission data for the area as well as recommendations from both local and federal agencies.  The University may alter mitigation protocols to address changes in risk. This could include requiring the wearing of masks/face coverings and up to canceling or postponing an event.

A young family moves to the idyllic island nation of Palau and suffers unspeakable tragedy. Through recently uncovered archival footage and first-person accounts, "Return to Palau" tells an incredible true story of survival, faith and forgiveness. The premiere at Andrews University is on April 16 at 4 p.m. at the Howard Performing Arts Center. No tickets required. Program is FREE of charge and all are invited to attend.

CANCELED: The Easter Tenebrae Concert scheduled for April 15, 2022, has been canceled. Instead, the University Singers will be performing a concert in collaboration with the Andrews University Symphony Orchestra on April 9, 2022, titled "Easter Gloria." Please join us for that program.

Andrews University Singers

Conductor: Stephen Zork

The Andrews University Singers is the select choir of the Department of Music and represents Andrews University locally, nationally and abroad through concert tours, television broadcast and audio recordings. They have given highly acclaimed international concert tours throughout the countries of Great Britain, Iceland, Norway, Brazil, Zimbabwe, Chile, Bahamas, Bermuda and Puerto Rico.

COVID-19 Safety Measures

We encourage you (our guests) to be vaccinated or have recently tested negative for COVID-19. Please self-screen for symptoms and exposures prior to attending a concert. You should not attend events if symptomatic or if you meet Health Department criteria for isolation or quarantine. Wearing of masks is encouraged.

The University is continually monitoring transmission data for the area as well as recommendations from both local and federal agencies. The University may alter mitigation protocols to address changes in risk. This could include requiring the wearing of masks/face coverings and up to canceling or postponing an event.

Watchmen is a contemporary gospel acapella group comprised of young men who love God and music and who value Christian education. Since its inception in the spring of 2017, countless volunteers and about 14 young men have contributed and benefited personally and professionally from the group. Our desire is to bring an urgent message to a cold world. In a time of political strife, social tension and moral depravity, we hope to reinvigorate the faith, revitalize the hope, and re-inspire the love in the hearts and minds of our listeners. We can't wait to see everyone at the Howard Performing Arts Center!

Join us for a collaborative concert between the Andrews University Symphony Orchestra and the Andrews University Singers as they present "Easter Gloria." The repertoire will include music from Handel's "Messiah" and Giuseppe Verdi's "Nabucco." The concert will conclude with the University Chorale and the Andrews University Symphony Orchestra in a performance of all three movements of "Gloria" by John Rutter.

Feel the buzz, thrill and chancy emotions of contemporary music. This program showcases the contemporary works of budding artists from Andrews University, as well as music composed by faculty members and the host, Max Keller.

COVID-19 Safety Measures

We encourage you (our guests) to be vaccinated or have recently tested negative for COVID-19. Please self-screen for symptoms and exposures prior to attending a concert. You should not attend events if symptomatic or if you meet Health Department criteria for isolation or quarantine. Wearing of masks is encouraged.

The University is continually monitoring transmission data for the area as well as recommendations from both local and federal agencies.  The University may alter mitigation protocols to address changes in risk. This could include requiring the wearing of masks/face coverings and up to canceling or postponing an event.

Join us for vespers on Friday, April 1, 2022, when the Collegedale Academy's Premier Choir, OPUS XXII, presents "Requiem for the Living" by Dan Forrest. They will be directed by Lawrence Galera and accompanied by Brendan Gay.

COVID-19 Safety Measures

We encourage you (our guests) to be vaccinated or have recently tested negative for COVID-19. Please self-screen for symptoms and exposures prior to attending a concert. You should not attend events if symptomatic or if you meet Health Department criteria for isolation or quarantine. Wearing of masks is encouraged.

The University is continually monitoring transmission data for the area as well as recommendations from both local and federal agencies.  The University may alter mitigation protocols to address changes in risk. This could include requiring the wearing of masks/face coverings and up to canceling or postponing an event. 

SMSO: Taking Flight

Featuring Grant Harville, music director finalist, and Kathryne Salo, flute

The SMSO spreads its wings for this collection of orchestral showstoppers. All of Peter Tchaikovsky's characteristic brilliance is on display in "Capriccio Italien," his tribute to his favorite travel destination; and the SMSO's own Kathryne Salo brings Jacques Ibert's effervescent "Flute Concerto" to life. The second half of the program has a decidedly avian bent. You'll meet the playful "Blue and Wild Birds (Oiseaux bleus et sauvages)" from Canadian Jocelyn Morlock, and you'll hear why the ballet "The Firebird" rocketed Igor Stravinsky to international fame.

PROGRAM

Pyotr Tchaikovsky, "Capriccio Italien"
Jacques Ibert, "Flute Concerto"
     Kathryne Salo, flute
Jocelyn Morlock, "Oiseaux bleus et sauvages"
Igor Stravinsky, "Suite" from "The Firebird"

PROGRAM NOTES

Tchaikovsky
Peter Tchaikovsky was perhaps the first composer, and certainly the first major Russian composer, to pursue something that resembled a "modern" compositional career, at least initially. Unlike earlier composers such as Mozart or Beethoven, who received an apprentice-style education preparing them for the family business, Tchaikovsky studied music on the side, without special grooming for the musical profession. It was not until Tchaikovsky entered the fledgling St. Petersburg Conservatory at age 22 that music became his primary focus. And as with many composers after him, Tchaikovsky’s steadiest source of income post-graduation was as a professor, teaching music theory at the Moscow Conservatory.

It took a rather strange but lucrative and mutually supportive relationship with Nadezhda von Meck, widow of a wealthy railroad magnate, to allow Tchaikovsky to leave teaching and focus full-time on composition and conducting. By mutual agreement, the two never met, but they exchanged intimate, heartfelt letters, and Meck provided Tchaikovsky an allowance that ensured he could live comfortably and travel. Italy was a favorite destination, and Tchaikovsky visited many times, particularly Florence and Rome. On one of his Roman visits, Tchaikovsky wrote to Meck: "I have already prepared in rough my Italian Fantasia on folk themes, which it seems to me, might be predicted to have a good future. It will be effective, thanks to its delightful tunes, some of which were chosen from collections, and some of which I heard myself on the streets." Opening with a military fanfare, and closing with a boisterous tarantella, "Capriccio Italien" (as the work is now generally known) has borne out Tchaikovsky’s optimism. 

Ibert
Founded in 1795, the Paris Conservatory has held a uniquely prominent place in the city's, and indeed country's, music educational landscape. For more than 200 years, virtually every major French composer has gone through its doors in one capacity or another. Jacques Ibert was no exception, entering in 1910 and returning in 1919 after a stint in the navy during World War I, winning the institution’s coveted Prix de Rome.

While Ibert himself would not have a standing position with the Conservatory as a professional, his Flute Concerto would be deeply connected to the school. It was written for Conservatory flute professor Marcel Moyse and premiered by the Orchestra of the Conservatory’s Concert Society, which included both professors and students, in 1934. The third movement would be used as a test piece for the flute students.

The "Flute Concerto" is cast in the traditional fast-slow-fast arrangement, with the pensive central movement separating the vivacious outer movements.

Morlock
Jocelyn Morlock is a composer living in Vancouver, Canada, the unceded territory of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil Waututh First Nations. Her music is inspired by birds, insomnia, nature, fear, other people’s music and art, nocturnal wandering thoughts, lucid dreaming, death and the liminal times and experiences before and after death. She was the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s first female Composer-in-Residence (2014–2019) and won a JUNO Award in 2018.

"Oiseaux bleus et sauvages" ("Birds Blue and Wild") was commisioned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and premiered by the Vancouver Symphony in 2005. Morlock has this to say about the work: "Many composers have been inspired by birdsong—the most celebrated example of this being Olivier Messiaen, whose Oiseaux exotiques include bird-songs from India, China, and other distant locales. Unlike Messiaen, a composer who travelled the world in search of his birds, I did not have to look far for mine; they're in the eaves of our apartment, and may well be the loudest things which occur in nature! These vociferous creatures embody the exuberance and delight of summer, and it is that joyous energy which drives my piece, 'Oiseaux bleus et sauvages.'"

Stravinsky
Living in Paris in 1910, Igor Stravinsky entered into a lengthy collaboration with Sergei Diaghilev, director of the Ballets Russes. Diaghilev commissioned Stravinsky to write the score for a new ballet, "The Firebird," based on tropes from Russian folklore. It was an instant success and brought Stravinsky's name to the attention of the music world. Through his operas, symphonies, ballets and other works, he would eventually gain worldwide recognition as one of the most significant and innovative composers of the twentieth century.

Stravinsky subjected his ballet to multiple revisions and compilations. The 1919 suite is the most-often performed version, taking the shortest time and requiring a smaller orchestra. The suite is in six main parts: A somber introduction merges into the scintillating "Dance of the Firebird;" the graceful "Dance of the Princesses" is followed by the music of the "Infernal Dance of Kastchei;" and a tender berceuse (lullaby) leads without pause to the "Finale," which opens with a tender melody for solo horn against tremulous strings before an increasingly ecstatic fanfare brings the suite to a jubilant conclusion.

About the Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra

The Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra has been an integral part of the cultural fabric of our community since 1951, known for presenting innovative programming. The SMSO is a 501(c)(3) non-for-profit organization that relies on private support and volunteers to fund and maintain its array of musical, educational and community programs.

Find the Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra online at:

Facebook: @SMSOrchestra

Instagram: @thesmso

Twitter: @SWMichiganSymph

Website: www.smso.org

This day of rehearsals and learning will culminate in an evening concert at 7 p.m. with the students performing the music they have worked on. It is a free concert and all are invited to the performance.

World-renowned pianist and conductor Ian Hobson returns to the Howard Performing Arts Center stage for an afternoon of musical inspiration. Hobson is a much sought-after judge for national and international competitions such as the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, the Arthur Rubinstein Competition, and the Leeds Piano Competition. He will be performing solo works and will also be joined by Andrews University piano faculty Chi Yong Yun as they perform works for four hands.  

COVID-19 Safety Measures

We encourage you (our guests) to be vaccinated or have recently tested negative for COVID-19. Please self-screen for symptoms and exposures prior to attending a concert. You should not attend events if symptomatic or if you meet Health Department criteria for isolation or quarantine. Wearing of masks is encouraged.

The University is continually monitoring transmission data for the area as well as recommendations from both local and federal agencies.  The University may alter mitigation protocols to address changes in risk. This could include requiring the wearing of masks/face coverings and up to canceling or postponing an event.