Fall concert at ASU

The Arkansas State University Concert Choir and Chamber Singers will present a Fall Concert, Tuesday, Oct. 16, at 7:30 p.m. in Riceland Hall of Fowler Center, 201 Olympic Dr. Dr. Dale Miller, director of choral activities, will conduct both groups.

Dr. Miller and the ASU choirs will be joined by the Arkansas Northeastern College Concert Singers, with Dr. Keith Hearnsberger, conductor.

Brian Henkelmann is the rehearsal pianist for the ASU groups; collaborative pianists for the concert are Dennis Hay of the ANC music faculty, Sean Pollock, director of music and worship at First United Methodist Church, and Trevor Robinson, senior music education major from Sikeston, Mo. Admission to the concert is free.

A native of Southeast Arkansas, Keith Hearnsberger comes to ANC after completing his music and educational studies in central Arkansas. He has degrees in applied vocal music, music history and literature, as well as graduate degrees in secondary education and educational leadership. His area of research for his doctorate included an examination of the impact of choral music involvement by public high school students upon literacy achievement. As director of choral activities at ANC, he conducts the ANC Concert Singers, Women’s Choir, Chamber Singers, and the ANC Community Choir. In addition to his conducting activities, he teaches music appreciation, aural theory, class voice, introduction to the history of Western art music, applied voice and advanced applied voice.

For more than 20 years, Dennis Hay has served on the faculty at Arkansas Northeastern College as instructor in music specializing in piano pedagogy. He currently teaches a wide variety of courses including music appreciation, fundamentals of music, applied piano, and class piano in addition to his role as accompanist for all three choirs.

He performs frequently throughout the Mid-South as both a solo and collaborative artist, and he has served as organist at First Baptist Church in Blytheville for more than 30 years. Hay holds degrees from Arkansas State University and the University of North Texas and has done additional post-graduate work at the University of Memphis. His piano teachers include Myron Myers, Dorothy Sahlmann, Stefan Bardas, J.D. Kelly, and Sam Viviano. He also studied accompanying with Harold Heiberg while at the University of North Texas. Mr. Hay was honored to be selected Distinguished Instructor of 2007 at Arkansas Northeastern College.

Sean Pollock coordinates a large and diverse music program at First United Methodist Church. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Memphis and a master’s in choral conducting from Arkansas State University where he studied with Dr. Miller. As an accomplished collaborative pianist, he has worked with world-class singers including Stuart Neill, Sandra Lopez, Cheri Rose Katz, Viola Dacus, and Horace English as well as accompanied All-State and Region choruses in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas. Sean is pursuing a doctoral degree in collaborative piano at the University of Memphis with Dr. Victor Asuncion.

Program

The ASU Concert Choir will begin the program with their traditional “in the round” performance of the Lloyd Pfautsch arrangement of the “Star-Spangled Banner,” followed by the ASU Chamber Singers. The chamber group will sing a contemporary madrigal by Donald Moore, and several pieces from the 16th century including Italian madrigals by Orlando di Lasso and Carlo Gesualdo, English madrigals by Orlando Gibbons, Thomas Morley and Thomas Weelkes, and a French chanson by Jacques Costeley.

The program continues with a couple of selections from the 18th and 20th centuries presented by the ANC Singers. Hearnsberger, in his second year at ANC, will conduct Mozart’s “Gloria in Excelsis” from “Missa Solemnis,” K. 139, and “Zion’s Walls” by 20th century American composer Aaron Copland. Dennis Hay will provide the piano accompaniment for the group.

ASU’s Concert Choir will present a variety of choral selections from several 20th and 21st century American composers and Norwegian composer Knut Nystedt. Selections include Nystedt’s “I Will Greatly Rejoice”; “Requiem Motet” by Daniel Moe, which will be conducted by Shannon O’Connor, graduate choral conducting assistant from Potomac, Md.; “Sleep, My Child” by Eric Whitacre, with soloists Emily Garren, a junior vocal music education major of Minneapolis, Minn., and Hannah McQuay, senior vocal music education major of Jonesboro; Z. Randall Stroope’s “Lamentations of Jeremiah,” assisted by Mr. Pollock as pianist; “Ride the Chariot,” a spiritual by Moses Hogan; and Rosephanye Powell’s gospel arrangement of “He Is Marvelous,” assisted by Robinson.

The concert will conclude with two selections by the combined choirs. Hearnsberger will conduct “Festival Jubilate” by David Giardiniere, and Miller will direct the Richard Waters’ setting of the choral benediction “God Be in my Head.”

Personnel, ANC

Personnel for the ANC Concert Singers are: Sopranos- Crystal Banks of Armorel, Aleshia Cody of Osceola, and Kalesha Johnson and Laquila Wright, both of Blytheville. Altos- Janell Boyd of Caruthersville, MO, Taylor Keene and Tiffany Key, both of Gosnell, Loren Kinkead of Armorel, Kristine Rankin of Richardson, Texas, and Amy Jo Wells of Wilson. Tenors- Zackory Chipman of Jonesboro, Jacob Elliott of Blytheville, Chris Hickingbottom and Bryan Roberts of Keiser, and Tanner Smith of Manila. Basses- Michael Askue and Josh Wilson of Gosnell, Chris Adams of Leachville, and J. Reid Lee of Armorel.

Personnel, ASU

Personnel for the ASU Chamber Singers are: Sopranos-Jessica Baldwin of Paragould, Kate Smith of Wynne, Hannah McQuay of Jonesboro, and Ginah Smith of White Hall. Altos-Cori Beasley of Gilmer, Texas, Morgan Langley of White Hall, and Shannon O’Connor of Potomac, Md. Tenors-Jacob Bushong of Paragould, Christopher Orr of Jonesboro, and Alex Swenson of Poplar Bluff, Mo. Baritones-Jacob Kelley of Jonesboro, John Phillians of Wynne, Gregory Self of Williford, and Craig Young of Cassopolis, Mich.

ASU Concert Choir members are: Soprano I- Jessica Baldwin of Paragould, Sarah Burnett of Jonesboro, Emily Garren of Minneapolis, Minn., Mallory Gipson of Jonesboro, Jenni Hannah of Jonesboro, Jesse Holder of Advance, Mo., Lizzie Kalkbrenner of White Hall, Erin Reagan of Munford, Tenn., Ginah Smith of White Hall, and Inez Whitt of Pine Bluff. Soprano II- Dennese Adkins of Cabot, Victoria Childress of Little Rock, Suemone Christian of Bryant, Nichole Dennis of Springfield, Mo., KayLa Edwards of White Hall, Cathy Hammack of Bradley, Hannah McQuay of Jonesboro, Alyssa Smith of Newport, Kate Smith of Wynne, and Kasey Welsh of Jonesboro.

Alto I- Cori Beasley of Gilmer, Texas, Michelle Byrd of Pine Bluff, Harmony Cagle of Rector, Megan Carter of Gosnell, Elizabeth Dryer of Jonesboro, Meagan Hamilton of Wynne, Sarah Hamilton of Paragould, Sara Ray of Paragould, Mercedes Webb of Dexter, Mo., and Sarah Woodson of Harrisburg. Alto II- Victoria Dryer of Jonesboro, Morgan Langley of White Hall, Kaleena Mann of Hot Springs, Maegan McDaniel of Manila, Shannon O’Connor of Potomac, Md., Janette Robinson of Jonesboro, Mary Rougeau of Jonesboro, Sloane Simmons of Jonesboro, Kyle Smith of Forrest City, and Loren Snook of Bradford.

Tenor I- Jake Bushong of Paragould, Adonias Finch of Dyer, Tenn., Courtney Hostler of Pine Bluff, Chris Orr of Jonesboro, Oscar Quiroz of Brookland, Louis Aaron Simpson IV of Memphis, Tenn., Craig Young of Cassopolis, Minn. Tenor II- Chris Dyson of Harker Heights, Texas, Matt Fischer of Jacksonville, George Gatewood III of Pine Bluff, Nathan Hanselman of Hot Springs, Ben McClelland of Corning, Trevor Robinson of Sikeston, Mo., and Alex Swenson of Poplar Bluff, Mo.

Baritone- Matt Crociata of Jonesboro, Jordan Griffin of Sherwood, Jacob Kelley of Jonesboro, Kihwan Kim of South Korea, Kale McDaniel of Jonesboro, Gregory Self of Williford, Matthew Stewart of White Hall, Bill Weaver of Cabot. Bass- Nathan Anderson of Sherwood, Jordin Crow of Hope, Nick Davis of Lake City, Aaron Fisher of Memphis, Tenn., Immanuel Morris of Pine Bluff, John Phillians of Wynne, Matt Smith of Gosnell.

For more information about this free concert, call the ASU Choir office at (870) 972-3841.