{"id":22447,"date":"2014-11-04T15:21:01","date_gmt":"2014-11-04T20:21:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=22447"},"modified":"2016-01-06T09:27:31","modified_gmt":"2016-01-06T14:27:31","slug":"annual-music-gala-to-showcase-orchestra-choirs-and-wind-ensemble-handels-messiah-among-the-featured-selections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2014\/annual-music-gala-to-showcase-orchestra-choirs-and-wind-ensemble-handels-messiah-among-the-featured-selections\/","title":{"rendered":"Annual music gala to showcase orchestra, choirs and wind ensemble \u2013 Handel\u2019s \u201cMessiah\u201d among the featured selections"},"content":{"rendered":"

The annual gala concert<\/a> at Eastern Mennonite University is \u201ca kaleidoscope,\u201d says music<\/a> professor Ken J. Nafziger<\/a>, who conducts the chamber choir. Around the fixed theme of a musical showcase to kick off the holiday season, a variety of talents, ensembles, and compositions rotate into new permutations each year.<\/p>\n

The Nov. 15 event at Lehman Auditorium includes a collaborative performance of Handel’s \u201cMessiah\u201d and two pieces composed by new professor Ryan Keebaugh<\/a>, as well as a wide variety of selections from the campus\u2019s musical community. The performance begins at 7 p.m. Admission is free, but a suggested donation of $10 per person benefits the music scholarship fund.<\/p>\n

The wind ensemble, with more than 25 student musicians, will open the gala with Jean-Joseph Mouret’s \u201cSuite des Symphonies.\u201d Conductor John Dull appreciates the increased exposure the group will receive, as the gala is their largest audience of the year.<\/p>\n

\"Josh<\/a>
Josh Helmuth, of the Chamber Singers, practices alongside choir members. (Photo by Randi Hagi)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The centerpiece of the concert is the popular Part I of Handel\u2019s \u201cMessiah,\u201d performed by the Chamber Singers, men’s and women’s choirs, with the orchestra. Popularly called the \u201cChristmas\u201d movement, Part I celebrates the birth of Jesus and ends with the rousing \u201cHallelujah\u201d chorus.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery student should have a chance to sing it or play it some time,\u201d says Nafziger, of the Baroque oratorio.<\/p>\n

Music professor Joan Griffing<\/a>, the orchestra\u2019s conductor who will play the violin as well, says she enjoys the camaraderie of playing alongside her students. \u201cThe collaboration is what I really enjoy,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Preparatory music<\/a> instructor Christa Hoover and graduate student Katrina Gehman will also play violin in the gala as soloists in Sarasate’s \u201cNavarra\u201d with the orchestra, a \u201csuper effervescent, whirlwind violin duo,\u201d says Hoover.<\/p>\n

Both violinists are Wheaton College alumni now teaching with the Harrisonburg City Schools String Program<\/a>. Their friendship contributes to the close listening required to harmonize in the duet. Gehman, who has played violin since she was eight, hopes \u201cthat the audience in this gala can connect through the music with the parts of themselves that cannot be expressed in words, and yet still long to speak.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sharing personal experience and reflective moments are also what rewards Keebaugh when writing music. The chamber choir and string quartet will perform one of his compositions, titled \u201c\u2026Thy light which is brighter than the sun and the moon.\u201d Keebaugh wrote the piece for Winchester’s Musica Viva concert last year in tribute to Jim Harmon, a beloved Virginian singer who died of cancer.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was an act of love and sorrow and respect,\u201d said Nafziger, who upon hearing the piece, immediately wanted the chance to conduct it.<\/p>\n

\"Sarah<\/a>
Sarah Sutter (left) and Lauren Sauder in a rehearsal with Eastern Mennonite University\u2019s Chamber Singers, directed by Ken J. Nafziger. (Photo by Randi Hagi)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cTo have that honor to commemorate someone’s life in a piece of music is a wonderful thing,\u201d said Keebaugh. The piece, which revolves around themes of light and dawn, took him eight months to compose.<\/p>\n

Junior Sarah Sutter will sing the melody in Keebaugh’s adaptation of \u201cThe Lord’s Prayer\u201d with the women’s choir. She appreciates the unique opportunity to work with the composer and learn the inspiration and intent behind the music. In this version of \u201cThe Lord’s Prayer,\u201d the choir surrounds the audience while mimicking the echoes of singing in a cave or cathedral. With this format, Keebaugh intends to make the audience part of the ensemble \u2013 breaking down the \u201cus versus them\u201d structure of traditional performance to better commune the personal sacred themes he writes into music.<\/p>\n

Other musical numbers include Bartok’s \u201cRomanian Folk Dances,\u201d a contemporary orchestra piece, and \u201cMusic Down in My Soul,\u201d a spiritual arrangement by Moses Hogan in the chamber singers’ repertoire.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven if you think that classical music isn\u2019t your thing, you should come and give it a shot,\u201d says Sutter. \u201cWe\u2019re doing things in a whole range of styles and eras, so come and listen before you say you don\u2019t like it!\u201d<\/p>\n

For more information, contact the EMU music department<\/a> at 540-432-4225.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The annual gala concert at Eastern Mennonite University is \u201ca kaleidoscope,\u201d says music professor Ken J. Nafziger, who conducts the chamber choir. Around the fixed theme of a musical showcase ... read more about Annual music gala to showcase orchestra, choirs and wind ensemble \u2013 Handel\u2019s \u201cMessiah\u201d among the featured selections<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":112,"featured_media":22459,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7931,5583,14715,5183,5623,4513],"tags":[16139,5944,7094,16138,15214,13711,17216,15918,14335],"feature":[],"class_list":["post-22447","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts","category-campus-community","category-campus-life","category-music","category-special-programs","category-student-life","tag-christa-hoover","tag-giving","tag-joan-griffing","tag-john-dull","tag-katrina-gehman","tag-ken-j-nafziger","tag-music","tag-ryan-keebaugh","tag-sarah-sutter"],"yoast_head":"\nAnnual music gala to showcase orchestra, choirs and wind ensemble \u2013 Handel\u2019s \u201cMessiah\u201d among the featured selections - EMU News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2014\/annual-music-gala-to-showcase-orchestra-choirs-and-wind-ensemble-handels-messiah-among-the-featured-selections\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Annual music gala to showcase orchestra, choirs and wind ensemble \u2013 Handel\u2019s \u201cMessiah\u201d among the featured selections - EMU News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The annual gala concert at Eastern Mennonite University is \u201ca kaleidoscope,\u201d says music professor Ken J. Nafziger, who conducts the chamber choir. Around the fixed theme of a musical showcase\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2014\/annual-music-gala-to-showcase-orchestra-choirs-and-wind-ensemble-handels-messiah-among-the-featured-selections\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"EMU News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/EasternMennonite\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-11-04T20:21:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2016-01-06T14:27:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2014\/11\/music_gala_2013_web.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"610\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"370\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@EMU_News\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@EMU_News\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2014\/annual-music-gala-to-showcase-orchestra-choirs-and-wind-ensemble-handels-messiah-among-the-featured-selections\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2014\/annual-music-gala-to-showcase-orchestra-choirs-and-wind-ensemble-handels-messiah-among-the-featured-selections\/\",\"name\":\"Annual music gala to showcase orchestra, choirs and wind ensemble \u2013 Handel\u2019s \u201cMessiah\u201d among the featured selections - EMU News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2014\/annual-music-gala-to-showcase-orchestra-choirs-and-wind-ensemble-handels-messiah-among-the-featured-selections\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2014\/annual-music-gala-to-showcase-orchestra-choirs-and-wind-ensemble-handels-messiah-among-the-featured-selections\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2014\/11\/music_gala_2013_web.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-11-04T20:21:01+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-01-06T14:27:31+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2014\/annual-music-gala-to-showcase-orchestra-choirs-and-wind-ensemble-handels-messiah-among-the-featured-selections\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2014\/annual-music-gala-to-showcase-orchestra-choirs-and-wind-ensemble-handels-messiah-among-the-featured-selections\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2014\/annual-music-gala-to-showcase-orchestra-choirs-and-wind-ensemble-handels-messiah-among-the-featured-selections\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2014\/11\/music_gala_2013_web.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2014\/11\/music_gala_2013_web.jpg\",\"width\":610,\"height\":370},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2014\/annual-music-gala-to-showcase-orchestra-choirs-and-wind-ensemble-handels-messiah-among-the-featured-selections\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Annual music gala to showcase orchestra, choirs and wind ensemble \u2013 Handel\u2019s \u201cMessiah\u201d among the featured selections\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/\",\"name\":\"EMU News\",\"description\":\"News from the Eastern Mennonite University community.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Annual music gala to showcase orchestra, choirs and wind ensemble \u2013 Handel\u2019s \u201cMessiah\u201d among the featured selections - EMU News","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2014\/annual-music-gala-to-showcase-orchestra-choirs-and-wind-ensemble-handels-messiah-among-the-featured-selections\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Annual music gala to showcase orchestra, choirs and wind ensemble \u2013 Handel\u2019s \u201cMessiah\u201d among the featured selections - EMU News","og_description":"The annual gala concert at Eastern Mennonite University is \u201ca kaleidoscope,\u201d says music professor Ken J. Nafziger, who conducts the chamber choir. Around the fixed theme of a musical showcase","og_url":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2014\/annual-music-gala-to-showcase-orchestra-choirs-and-wind-ensemble-handels-messiah-among-the-featured-selections\/","og_site_name":"EMU News","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/EasternMennonite","article_published_time":"2014-11-04T20:21:01+00:00","article_modified_time":"2016-01-06T14:27:31+00:00","og_image":[{"width":610,"height":370,"url":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2014\/11\/music_gala_2013_web.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@EMU_News","twitter_site":"@EMU_News","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2014\/annual-music-gala-to-showcase-orchestra-choirs-and-wind-ensemble-handels-messiah-among-the-featured-selections\/","url":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2014\/annual-music-gala-to-showcase-orchestra-choirs-and-wind-ensemble-handels-messiah-among-the-featured-selections\/","name":"Annual music gala to showcase orchestra, choirs and wind ensemble \u2013 Handel\u2019s \u201cMessiah\u201d among the featured selections - EMU News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2014\/annual-music-gala-to-showcase-orchestra-choirs-and-wind-ensemble-handels-messiah-among-the-featured-selections\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2014\/annual-music-gala-to-showcase-orchestra-choirs-and-wind-ensemble-handels-messiah-among-the-featured-selections\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2014\/11\/music_gala_2013_web.jpg","datePublished":"2014-11-04T20:21:01+00:00","dateModified":"2016-01-06T14:27:31+00:00","author":{"@id":""},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2014\/annual-music-gala-to-showcase-orchestra-choirs-and-wind-ensemble-handels-messiah-among-the-featured-selections\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2014\/annual-music-gala-to-showcase-orchestra-choirs-and-wind-ensemble-handels-messiah-among-the-featured-selections\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2014\/annual-music-gala-to-showcase-orchestra-choirs-and-wind-ensemble-handels-messiah-among-the-featured-selections\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2014\/11\/music_gala_2013_web.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2014\/11\/music_gala_2013_web.jpg","width":610,"height":370},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2014\/annual-music-gala-to-showcase-orchestra-choirs-and-wind-ensemble-handels-messiah-among-the-featured-selections\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Annual music gala to showcase orchestra, choirs and wind ensemble \u2013 Handel\u2019s \u201cMessiah\u201d among the featured selections"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/","name":"EMU News","description":"News from the Eastern Mennonite University community.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":""}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22447","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/112"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22447"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22447\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22460,"href":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22447\/revisions\/22460"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22459"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22447"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22447"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22447"},{"taxonomy":"feature","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/feature?post=22447"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}