The choirs of Kellogg Community College will premiere the program they’ll tour with internationally this summer at the College’s annual “Singing in the Spring” concert this month in Battle Creek.
“Singing in the Spring: KCC Choral Union Tour to the Baltics” will begin at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 27, at First Presbyterian Church, 111 Capital Ave. NE in Battle Creek. The event is free and open to the public, though a freewill offering will be collected to support the tour and future music initiatives at the College.
Individuals can also donate to support the tour online.
KCC Music Area Coordinator and Vocal Arts Director Dr. Gerald Case-Blanchard said that while “Singing in the Spring” is an annual event, the concert this year holds special significance.
“This will be the first pre-tour performance of the program for the Battle Creek community,” Case-Blanchard said. “It will also be the only concert where we present the full repertoire that will be performed in Europe.”
Said tour will include a choir of approximately 40 singers, with performances in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, running June 16 through 24. It’s KCC’s third international concert tour in the College’s almost 70-year history, as the choirs toured Ireland and Italy in 2012 and 2014, respectively.
Abbreviated versions of the program will also be performed at Trinity Episcopal Church in Marshall on Saturday, June 7, and at St. Joseph Catholic Parish in St. Joseph on Sunday, June 8. These events are also free and open to the public.
Case-Blanchard said the events “will not only allow the choir to refine its performance in various acoustical settings but also serve as a final opportunity to share our music with the community and raise funds before we embark on our nine-day European tour on June 16.”
Case-Blanchard will conduct the choirs with Nancy D. Brown as principal accompanist, along with performances by organists Diane Pridgeon and Dr. Mark Wells and staff accompanist Cynthia Garn.
The Program
The concert will open with an organ prelude by Pridgeon performing “Berceuse” by Louis Vierne. Performances will follow with a program presented in three parts, performed by the KCC Choral Union directed by Case-Blanchard with accompanist Brown.
Part one, titled “Jubilant Praise: A Celebration of Sacred Choral Music,” will invite the listener on “a captivating journey through timeless choral masterpieces,” according to the program. “From serene prayers for peace to triumphant affirmations of faith, these works celebrate the transformative and uplifting power of sacred music.”
Selections in this part of the program – with compositions ranging from the 16th to the 20th centuries – include Handel’s “Sing Unto God”; “If Ye Love Me” by Renaissance composer Thomas Tallis; “Sing Joyfully” by William Byrd; Mendelssohn’s “Grant Us Thy Peace”; Bach’s “Lobet den Herrn, alle Heiden BWV 230”; “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation” by Joachim Neander; “Praise the Lord” by Florence Price; and “All That Hath Life and Breath, Praise Ye the Lord” by René Clausen.
Part two, titled “Longing for Peace: Songs of Love, Loss, and Remembrance,” delves into “the profound spectrum of human emotions, capturing themes of longing, sacrifice, and the enduring hope for peace,” according to the program.
Selections in this part of the program – all composed in the 20th century – include the piano piece “4 Sketches, Op.15 (Mvmt. 3 – Dreaming)” by Amy Beach, performed by Garn; “I Am Not Yours” by Z. Randall Stroope; “Da Pacem” by Donatas Zakaras; “Requiem for a Soldier” by Michael Kaman; and “Imbakwa” by Jim Papoulis;
Part three, titled “Rhythms of Joy: Songs of Spirit Struggle, and Celebration,” celebrates “the transformative power of song to uplift, unite, and inspire,” according to the program, with each piece embodying “the enduring strength of the human spirit in moments of triumph, faith, and shared joy.”
Selections in this part of the program include “Hark, I Hear the Harps Eternal” by Alice Parker; “Down by the Riverside” by Stacy V. Gibbs; and “The Battle of Jericho” arranged by Moses Hogan.
The concert will close with a performance of Bach’s “Allabreve in D Major, BWV 589” by organist Wells.
The Choir
Choir members performing in the concert include the following. (Touring choir participants are indicated with an asterisk.)
SOPRANOS
- Finch Armstrong
- Kathleen Bappert*
- Olivia Butler
- India Carny-Wright*
- Jessica Fagan
- Sam Greenburg
- Loretta Gulley*
- Lynda Hensel*
- Amber Herman*
- Kristina Keefer*
- Diane Pridgeon*
- Tania Reese
- Bianca Smith*
ALTOS
- Kathy Alderink*
- Kathy Bair*
- Kathy Cary
- Margaret Filmore
- Nora Lippard
- Patty Pipe*
- Giada Pontoni*
- Laura Shemel*
- Christine Sloan*
- Michael Thang
- Lucinda Wakeman*
- Melanie Wheeler*
TENORS
- Jeffrey Gallup
- Cynthia Garn*
- Barbara Hantz*
- Paul Hershberger*
- Joshua Liechty
- Dale Norton*
- Randy Turpin
- Mark Wells*
BARITONES
- Keith Baker*
- Stephen Case-Blanchard*
- Kenneth Norton*
- Eric Rifenburgh*
BASSES
- Anthony Garn*
- Don Hicks
- Patrick Lucas*
- Don Shemel*
- James Vanbruggen
- Mason Vanbruggen
For more information about the concert or other music programming at the College, contact Case-Blanchard at case-blanchardg@kellogg.edu or 269-565-7859.
To donate directly to support the Choral Union’s upcoming tour of the Baltics, visit kellogg.edu/donate, click on the “Visual & Performing Arts” graphic, then click on “Choral Union Goes to the Baltics.”
About Music at Kellogg Community College
KCC’s Arts and Communication Department offers a robust Music Program including a brand new Associate in Fine Arts degree in Music, launching this fall. Additional music opportunities for students and community members offered through the College include individualized voice and instrument lessons, master classes, student recitals, an annual Opera Workshop and other music initiatives, including youth performance camps.
The College also host three residential choirs, including the Branch County Community Chorus, the Concentus Vocal Ensemble and the Kellogg Singers – which perform together as the KCC Choral Union – as well as resident Concert and Jazz bands.
In addition to performing regularly in its home state of Michigan, the KCC Choral Union has performed nationally at major venues in Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, and performed international concert tours of Ireland and Italy in 2012 and 2014, respectively.
KCC choirs have opened for several internationally renowned musicians, including Grammy Award-winning musical groups Take 6 and Sweet Honey in the Rock, and regularly collaborate with major musical organizations including the Battle Creek Symphony Orchestra, the Haydn Festival Orchestra, the Monroe Community Chorale and Symphony and the Sacred Music Festival of Kalamazoo.
For more information, visit kellogg.edu/music.
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