Two Choral Events, Hosted By Music Department, in November

choir singingNovember 2, 2015 (Notre Dame, Ind.)—The Saint Mary’s College Department of Music will host two special women’s choral events in mid-November. The Fall Choral Concert will be held on Wednesday, November 18 at 7:30 p.m. in O’Laughlin Auditorium. Ticket information can be found at MoreauCenter.com. The College will also host the 31st annual High School Women’s Choir Festival Thursday, November 19 and Friday, November 20, also in O’Laughlin.

The Fall Choral Concert will include performances by the Saint Mary’s College Women’s Choir, the Collegiate Choir, and Bellacappella, a student a cappella group. Nancy Menk, professor of music, director of choral activities and the Mary Lou and Judd Leighton Chair in Music, is planning and executing these two events.  “The Fall Choral Concert is a chance for us to show what we’ve been working on since the academic year started,” Menk said.

The High School Women’s Choir Festival, meanwhile, will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on November 19 and 20, with Saint Mary’s Women’s Choir performing each day. This year there will be 21 choirs representing four states. Local choirs will include Penn High School, Concord High School, and La Porte High School. Each choir will perform three or four pieces and receive written evaluations from commentators.

Three well-respected commentators will evaluate the choirs. Commentators for this year’s festival include Jonathan Busarow, artistic and executive director of the Fort Wayne Children’s Choir; Kerry Glann, associate director of Choral Activities at Ball State University; and Joni Jensen, director of choral activities at Texas Woman’s University. “The commentators will work with the students and give them pointers on how to improve their singing,” Menk said. “The high school choirs will receive both written comments as well as an open clinic.”

Choirs will perform for each other during the morning and afternoon sessions. The day also includes a performance by the Saint Mary’s College Women’s Choir.  “It also gives Saint Mary's a chance to showcase our choir and promote good choral singing for young women. We serve as a good model to these high school students,” said Menk.  The festival is held in O’Laughlin Auditorium in the Moreau Center for the Arts at Saint Mary’s College.  It is open to the public, free of charge.

About Saint Mary's College: Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Ind., is a four-year, Catholic, residential, women’s liberal arts college offering five bachelor’s degrees and more than 30 major areas of study, such as business, nursing, art, chemistry, and social work. Saint Mary’s College also offers two graduate degrees: a Master of Science and a Doctorate. All programs that fall under these degrees are co-educational and include a Master of Science in Data Science, a Master of Science in Speech Language Pathology, and a Doctorate of Nursing Practice. Founded in 1844 by the Sisters of the Holy Cross, Saint Mary’s College seeks, according to its mission statement, to educate students, develop their talents, and prepare them to make a difference in the world. Saint Mary’s College ranks among the top 100 Best National Liberal Arts Colleges for 2016 published by U.S. News & World Report. Follow Saint Mary's College on Twitter @saintmarys and @saintmarysnews

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