KCC’s Choral Union presents ‘Singing in the Spring’ April 15

The Choral Union of Kellogg Community College will present its annual “Singing in the Spring” choral concert beginning at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 15, at Battle Creek’s First Presbyterian Church, located at 111 Capital Ave. NE.

Gerald Blanchard, professor of vocal music at KCC and director of the program, said the group of 43 singers and three accompanists performing at the concert will be singing everything from early music to contemporary popular jazz.

“There’s something for everybody,” Blanchard said. “Whether you’re a classical purist or somebody who loves jazz and show choir stuff, or somebody who just loves good old American style music, we’ve got it all in this one concert.”

The Choral Union is made up of performers from KCC’s three residential choirs, including the Kellogg Singers, the Branch County Community Chorus and the Concentus Vocal Ensemble, which together perform a major concert each year in the fall and in the spring.

This year’s concert will feature performances by each choir separately, Blanchard said, but the majority of the performances – 12 of the 17 on the program – will feature the Choral Union as a whole. The concert also serves as a fundraiser for the group’s first international tour, scheduled for July 4 through 10 in Ireland.

Blanchard said the fundraising part of the evening will consist of a free will offering.

“All the funds will go to help support the choral program, in particular our trip to Ireland,” he said, adding that any funds collected above what is needed for the group’s international tour will be saved for their presentation of Handel’s “Messiah” in the fall.

This “Singing in the Spring” event – subtitled “From Motets to Jazz” – marks the seventh year of the popular spring concert and follows last year’s presentation of Mozart’s “Mass in C Minor.” Blanchard said he was pleased with the way the community came out for the concert last year and he would like to see a similar show of support on the 15th.

“Every dime that we raise helps defray costs for our students, and on top of that it will help support our upcoming initiatives,” he said. “We’re doing some great music.”

The YouTube video above highlights the group’s upcoming trip to Ireland as well as the preceding fundraising events related to it.

For more information about vocal/choral events from Kellogg Community College singers, visitwww.kellogg.edu/performart/vocal/events.html.