Annual festival to bring 900 high school singers to campus

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—The 78th annual Southwestern Michigan Vocal Festival will be held on Western Michigan University's campus Thursday, March 24 .The day-long festival will culminate in a 7 p.m. performance in WMU’s Miller Auditorium. The concert is open to the public, free of charge, and will feature the 900-voice Festival Chorus, which will nearly fill the first level of the auditorium.

About the concert

Guest conductor Rollo Dilworth, professor of music education and chair of music education and music therapy in the Boyer College of Music and Dance at Temple University, will lead the evening performance, which includes the large Festival Chorus as well as the select 60-member 2016 Honors Choir. A featured performance will be given by WMU’s University Chorale.

The large Festival Chorus will perform four works including Martin Shaw’s "With a Voice of Singing," Henry Purcell’s "Come, Ye Sons of Art," and two songs arranged by Dilworth: "The Gift to Be Free" and the spiritual "Walk in Jerusalem" to close the concert.

The auditioned high school Honors Choir will perform three selections: Rosephanye Powell’s "The Word Was Go," Dan Forrest’s "The Music of Living," and Daniel Elder’s "Lullaby."

About the festival

Since its inception in 1935 the Southwestern Michigan Vocal Festival has been dedicated to providing an experience in mass singing of good repertoire under the leadership of an inspiring conductor. Each year a noted guest conductor is invited to work with select students in a fall workshop and conduct the daylong festival that occurs each March.

High schools qualified to participate in this year’s festival and their directors are as follows:

• Allegan, Rebecca Balkon.
• Berrien Springs, Carrie VanDenburgh.
• Brandywine, Denise Boger.
• Coloma, Rebecca Selvidge.
• Dowagiac Union, Jeff Robinson.
• Hopkins, Jacob Oaster.
• Kalamazoo Central, Theresa Williams-Johnson.
• Kalamazoo Loy Norrix, Julie Pelligrino.
• Lawton, Gary Oegema.
• Niles, Matthew D. Hunckler.
• Stevensville Lakeshore, Katherine Rohwer.
• Sturgis, Eric Cadena.
• Watervliet, Tami Brush.
• Wayland Union, Ricci Sabin.
• West Ottawa, Pamela Pierson.

For more information about the concert, visit wmich.edu/music or call (269) 387-4667.

For more news, arts and events, visit wmich.edu/news.