Last Thursday almost 200 people joined us for the annual President’s Dinner. The theme for the evening was “Celebrating God’s Blessing!” After dinner the program began with two songs by the Chorale.
The Calvary Chorale sang Kum Ba Yah.
Then we presented Hand in Hand Awards to Bill and Debi Keeney and Graham Union Church for their tremendous support of Calvary.
Bill Keeney (left) accepts the Hand in Hand Award from Randy Grimm.
Representatives of Graham Union Church
Dr. Cone announced two recent, huge blessings. First, we have 401 students enrolled in classes right now! Second, Calvary has been approved to offer a PhD in Bible and Theology launching in January 2019. Following Dr. Cone we heard testimonies from three students as well as reports about God’s blessings in the Athletic Department, Colorado Innovation Center, and Kansas City campus buildings.
Student Tori Stahr gave a testimony.
The evening concluded with the first performance of Calvary’s new music group, lux voces. We are thankful for each person who came to celebrate with us and for the students who served in various capacities throughout the event.
Sarah Bourdess, graduate student, played Sonata Op. 109 in E Major.
Last Friday Calvary dedicated the grand piano and piano microphone which will be used for chapel services, concerts, and recitals in Liberty Chapel. Through this Dedication Concert we acknowledged the generosity of Mrs. Inci Bashar, Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Winkley, Mr. and Mrs. Bill Kelly, and Mr. and Mrs. Michael Silvers. We are extremely grateful for their gifting of this instrument, and we look forward to using it for God’s glory for years to come. Praise the Lord for His provision!
Program
The concert consisted of performances by Un Chong Christopher, Sarah Bourdess, and Dr. Mark Strozier. Mrs. Christopher, an Associate Professor of Music here at Calvary, played two solo piano pieces as well as accompanying Dr. Strozier and playing a duet with Sarah Bourdess. Dr. Mark Strozier played three flute pieces. Sarah Bourdess is one of our graduate students, and she played a solo and a duet on this special gift.
Dr. Mark Strozier played Cantabile et Presto accompanied by Un Chong Christopher.
LAST CHANCE FOR YOU TO BE A PART OF THE MASTERWORKS CHORUS. COME TO THE REHEARSAL ON MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, AT 7:00 PM AND BE A PART OF THIS WONDERFUL MASTERWORK!!
Rehearsals will begin Monday August, 27 at 7:00 pm in Liberty Chapel on the Calvary University campus. We will rehearse every Monday following (except Labor Day) with the performance on Friday, November 9 at 7:30 pm at an offsite location to be named later. This year our primary work will be John Rutter’s “Requiem.”
Our Masterworks Concert will open with a series of beloved hymns by Charles Wesley, John Newton, and Isaac Watts that have been rethought by British Composer and jazz pianist, Christopher Norton. These beautiful, creative, and moving arrangements accompanied by a pipe organ give a new sense of beauty to the 18th century texts.
John Rutter’s Requiem was completed in 1985 and is a choral masterpiece. His setting of this work is beautiful, with melodies that illustrate the depth of the text. The text is a mixture of Latin and English and includes a movement that features his famous setting of Psalm 23.
Cost for participating is $25.00 per person with a maximum of $50.00 per family. Don’t miss this opportunity to be a part of our combined chorus to sing in this Masterwork.
Last Friday the Calvary University Music Department presented the Spring Concert at Blue River Bible Church.
Brittany Hill, Hailey Bair, Daniel Huxman, and Zach Burnham sang “Holy” and were accompanied by Un Chong Christopher.
The evening began with a hymn medley performed by an instrumental ensemble. Other instrumental pieces were sprinkled throughout the program as well as several vocal ensembles.
Sarah Bourdess and Bethany Franklin played “Danse macabre.”
We enjoyed vocal solos by Tim VanderWoude, Charis Schneeberger, Hailey Bair, Brittany Hill, Corey Ruehling, and Zach Burnham. The evening ended with three songs by the Chorale.
The Chorale was directed by Jeremy Schell. (Front row: Charis Schneeberger, Alyona Hassenplug, Grace Murphy, Katherine Figuera, Deborah Clipperton, and Karla Aponte) (Back row: Christopher Stolberg, Levi Hoey, Kelvin Mwendia, Joshua Freerksen, Joel Chappel, Andrew Barnes, and David Allen)
We appreciate all of the hard work by students, faculty, and staff to prepare for this concert, and we thank the Lord for the blessing of music.
“To our great God, ruler of everything and lover of each one – Thank you for guiding me through all the twists, turns, bumps, and potholes on my long journey through college.” ~ Emily Wirth
Emily (Heitz) Wirth
Those words were the first part of the acknowledgments in the program for Emily Wirth’s Senior Recital on Sunday. During her long, winding path to graduation, Emily has studied under Paul Vander Mey, Cheryl Clark, Dr. Haekyung An, and Dr. Tom Stolberg. Completing her Senior Recital is another step on the path, and it is a good example of perseverance, especially for those who may have given up on their dreams of finishing college. Emily was accompanied on the piano by Christopher Stolberg, and she sang pieces by Handel, Scarlatti, and Schubert among others. She plans to use her degree by teaching voice and piano lessons, performing, and composing music. To God be the glory for how He has brought Emily to this place!
Calvary University invites you to the Master Recital of Hailey Bair on Monday, April 9, 2018, at 7:00 pm. Hailey’s recital will be performed at Schmitt Music, Rosana Square, 7316 W 119th St, Overland Park, KS. Enjoy an evening of beautiful vocal music as Hailey performs a variety of musical selections.
Hailey Bair, mezzo-soprano, is a recent graduate of the UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music. She is currently pursuing a Master of Music in Vocal Performance at Calvary University. She has studied under the tutelage of Un Chong Christopher for the past six years. A Springfield, MO native, her studies began early with 15 years of piano lessons, and 9 years of voice under Missy Palen. Hailey made her opera debut in Cosi fan Tutte through UMKC Opera as well as sang numerous oratorio roles, including the messenger in Judas Maccabaeus and the Queen in Elijah. Other stage roles include Catherine in Proof, as well as selections from Spoon River Anthology, both through UMKC Theatre. Hailey has been the soprano section leader of KC Women’s Chorus, soprano section leader at Episcopal Church of the Resurrection, and is currently the alto section leader at Unity Temple on the Plaza, where she does various solo work. She debuted at Starlight Theatre as a nun in The Sound of Music, as well as performed backup vocals with The Rolling Stones and Barry Manilow. She has sung internationally, touring major cities of Italy with a voice troupe. Outside of performing, she teaches voice to students of varying ages and levels. Hailey currently resides in Kansas City with her golden retriever, Zoey.
LAST CHANCE FOR YOU TO BE A PART OF THE MASTERWORKS CHORUS. COME TO THE REHEARSAL ON MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, AT 7:00 PM AND BE A PART OF THIS WONDERFUL MASTERWORK!!
