“Interlude,” a 14-voice choir comprised of current EMU students and recent graduates.
Concerts by choral groups occur regularly on the EMU campus, but this one will be a bit different.
“Interlude,” a 14-voice choir comprised of current EMU students and recent graduates, will present a concert of choral favorites on Wednesday, Apr. 28. But this will be the group’s only performance, and the program is dedicated to the memory of a fallen EMU alumnus.
Admission to the concert, at 7 p.m. in Martin Chapel of the seminary building, is by donation, with all proceeds going to the Matthew Garber Endowed Scholarship Fund at EMU.
Garber: student leader, musician
Garber, 22, a well-loved student leader, musician, and 2008 nursing graduate from Elizabethtown, Pa., was known for his strong faith, musicianship and good sense of humor.
He drowned on July 1, 2008 while on a missions trip in Costa Rica. Garber was planning to begin work as an emergency room nurse at Lancaster (PA) General Hospital the end of that summer.
About the concert
The group will be perform a wide variety of choral music from Rachmaninoff, Lauridsen and several African pieces to selections from a group from Finland called Rajaton. A member described the program as “kind of a ‘greatest hits’ of collective favorites from past choral experiences.”
“We just had a group of people who loved singing and wanted to do it together on a regular basis,” said choir member Katie Derstine.
“But in choosing music and during early rehearsals, Matt (Garber) kept coming to mind. Several of us talked about how pieces reminded us of him and how much he would have enjoyed participating in this project. Turning the concert into a benefit seemed a good way to focus our energy and give a more tangible purpose to what we were doing,” she added.
For more information on the program, contact Katie Derstine at 540-432-4110; email: katherine.derstine@emu.edu.