Thirteen Mennonite School Council (MSC) high school choirs from around the United States and Canada converged on Eastern Mennonite School and Eastern Mennonite University for the annual MSC Choral Festival April 6-8. (Photos by Andrew Strack)

EMU’s Yoder Arena hosts Mennonite high school choral festival

by Lauren Jefferson

Thirteen Mennonite School Council (MSC) high school choirs from around the United States and Canada converged on Eastern Mennonite School and Eastern Mennonite University for the annual MSC Choral Festival last weekend [April 6-8]. The three-day event included five rehearsals and a Sunday afternoon performance, which featured individual choir performances as well as a joint mass choir of more than 400 choristers.

Jay Hartzler, longtime Eastern Mennonite School and Christopher Dock music teacher, returned from Romania to be the guest conductor. He and his wife, Sheri, are Church of the Nazarene volunteers in Sighisoara, where he established a woodworking business teaching men to make furniture. He also directs adult and children’s choirs there. Hartzler retired in 2014 after nearly 40 years of teaching, 34 of them at EMS.

Eastern Mennonite School hosted the Mennonite Schools Council Choral Festival, using EMU facilities as a rehearsal and performance venue. The concert, titled “God Within Us” drew a large crowd to Yoder Arena on Sunday afternoon.

He was joined by accompanist Jim Clemens, a Shenandoah Valley-based musicians with nearly 40 years experience in solo recitals, choir concerts, and dozens of musical theater shows, including EMU’s spring musical production. He also composes a wide variety of vocal and instrumental music.

Participating choirs

  • Shalom Christian Academy Tour Choir (Chambersburg, Pa.), directed by Amanda Wolfe;
  • Bethany Christian Schools Concert Choir (Goshen, Ind.), directed by Brody Thomas;
  • Freeman Academy Chamber Choir (Freeman, S.D.), directed by Amy Hofer Vetch;
  • Dock Mennonite Academy Touring Choir (Lansdale, Pa.), directed by Emily Grimes;
  • The City School Voces Caelestium (Philadelphia, Pa.) directed by Deion Peyton, accompanied by Ohante Schell;
  • Lancaster Mennonite Schools Hershey Campus Choir (Hershey, Pa.), directed by James Fairman, accompanied by Susan Eckert;
  • Lancaster Mennonite Schools Campus Chorale (Lancaster, Pa.), directed by Marcy Hostetler, accompanied Malise Landes;
  • Sarasota Christian High School Touring Choir (Sarasota, Fla.), directed by Lindsey Caffelle, accompanied by Jaedon Jensen;
  • Iowa Mennonite School Touring Choir (Kalona, Iowa), directed by Alisa Kandel;
  • Central Christian Schools Concert Choir, directed by Tim Shue;

    EMU’s Yoder Arena filled with choir members and audience.
  • UMEI Christian High School Choir, directed by Wesley Shuttleworth;
  • Rockway Mennonite Collegiate Senior Choir, directed by Marlys Neufeldt, accompanied by Sophia Heidebrecht;
  • Eastern Mennonite School Touring Choir, directed by Jared Stutzman.