Music Preparatory Choirs to Present Spring Concert May 1

April 26, 2016

The Music Preparatory Department choirs at Oklahoma Baptist University will present a spring concert Sunday, May 1, at 3 p.m. in Raley Chapel’s Potter Auditorium. The groups performing include the Discovery Singers, Shawnee Honor Choir, and the Concert Choir. The concert is free and open to the public.

The youngest choir, Discovery Singers, is under the direction of Ashley Pierce. They will open the program with “The Bear’s Own Song,” a traditional Native American song arranged by Helen Roberts. Other selections include the “The Goat” by Alexander Gretchaninov and arranged by Anne Grossman; “Round Dance” by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, also arranged by Grossman; “Stone Pounding” and “One August Moon,” both traditional Jamaican songs arranged by T. Grame; and “Old MacDonald Had a Jazzy Farm,” a rendition of the traditional song arranged by Sonja Poorman.

In its thirty-third year, Shawnee Honor Choir, an auditioned group of third through eighth graders conducted by Conchita Hansford, will open their part of the program with “You Shall Have a Song” by Harriet Ziegenhals, featuring OBU professor Dr. Carlos Feller on flute. The Honor Choir will continue with “Birdsong” by Paul Read; “I Dance to the Stars and the Moon” by Cary Ratcliff; “One Word” by Linda Spevacek; “Hand Me Down My Silver Trumpet,” a traditional spiritual arranged by Jean Ashworth Bartle; and “Lightning!” by Greg Gilpin.

Orff instrumentalists will perform “Canon” by Carl Orff. These student performers include Andi Burgess, Kaitlyn Duran, and Estelle Lilite om soprano glockenspiels; Emily Day on alto glockenspiel; Corinna Ropp and Brent White on soprano xylophone; Trenton Cope-Ueltzen, Tyler Day, and Clara Timmons on alto xylophones; Elizabeth Mashek on alto metallophone; Allison Holter on bass xylophone; Littie White on bass metallophone; Autumn Morris on bass bars; and Kelby Vass on the wood block.

The Shawnee Honor Choir portion of the concert will conclude with an audience sing-a-long of patriotic songs accompanied by hand chimes. Hand chime performers include DeNiesha Barkus, Grace Belyeu, Avery Burnett, Abigail Canning, Chiara Carpenter, Avery Ford, Francisco Garcia, Jenevieve Gay, Camryn Green, Kalyn Jones, Keylee Landes, Mary Lytle, Brooklyne Malouf, Favor Mbote, Garrett McDonald, Karsyn McDonald, Evie Miner, Hyrum Miner, Larron Morris, Emilee Prater, Billie Richardson, Chrissy Richardson, Caden Romine, Olivia Schwab, Braden Ueltzen, Alexis Walker, Allison Webb, Renee Webb, Olivia White, Aubree Wilkins, and Jordan Winter.

The Concert Choir, comprised of high school students and OBU music education students, is directed by Dr. Kathy Scherler. They will open with Walter Donaldson’s “Yes Sir, That’s My Baby.” Other Concert Choir selections include “Ain’t She Sweet” by Milton Ager; “The Roaring Twenties Melody,” arranged by Jeff Funk; and an arrangement of Duke Ellington’s classic, “It Don’t Mean A Thing,” by M. Huff.

For the 26th consecutive year, Shawnee Honor Choir will present its spring program in area schools. Tuesday, April 26, the choir will perform at South Rock Creek, Grove, Sterling House, and Will Rogers. Friday, April 29, the choir will perform at Sequoyah, Pleasant Grove, and Liberty Academy.

Auditions are open for students to join any of the choirs on May 3 from 3:30 to 5 p.m. For more information on the concert or auditions, visit the Prep Department webpage, call (405) 585-4329 or email prep@okbu.edu.