One of the most traveled college choral groups in the United States, the Wittenberg Choir is set to hit the road again for its annual Spring Concert Tour, Feb. 28 – March 5. This year’s group will share its collective passion for music in Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.
Under the direction of Erik Zinter, director of choral activities and assistant professor of music at Wittenberg, the choir will preview its tour at Wittenberg University’s Weaver Chapel at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 22. There will be six total performances with the tour’s home concert at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Springfield at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 5.
The program, “The Living Spirit,” will feature a wide variety of music in five sets: The Spirit Transcended, The Spirit at Rest, The Human Spirit, The Spirit Ascended, and Folks Songs, Hymns, and Spirituals.
The Human Spirit includes music from composers that have pushed the boundaries in composition such as a 36-part canon by Ockeghem and a vocal exploration piece called Nyon Nyon by Jake Runestad. Eric Whitacre’s, Sleep, and Eriks Esenvalds, Only in Sleep, highlight the set of music called The Spirit at Rest.
A favorite from the concert will likely be the piece Indodana arranged by Barrett and Schmitt. The haunting music of Indodana depicts the scene of Christ on the cross, underscored by the movements of a dancer. Other composers featured in the concert are Paul J. Christiansen, Donald Busarow, Shawn Kirchner, F. Melius Christiansen, Knut Nystedt, William Byrd, and others.
The Wittenberg Choir is comprised of 40 singers, representing many different departments across campus.
The Wittenberg Choir 2019 Spring Tour is as follows, and all events are free and open to the public:
7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 22 (Concert with the Symphonic Band)
Weaver Chapel
Wittenberg University
7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 28
Bethlehem Lutheran Church
526 E. 52nd St., Indianapolis, Indiana
7:30 p.m. Friday, March 1
Messiah Lutheran Church
21485 Lorain Rd., Cleveland, Ohio
7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 2
St. John’s Lutheran Church
920 Perry Hwy., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
4 p.m. Sunday, March 3
Fairlawn Lutheran Church
3415 W. Market St., Akron, Ohio
7:30 p.m. Monday, March 4
Prince of Peace Lutheran Church
101 S. Lebanon Rd., Loveland, Ohio
7 p.m. Tuesday, March 5
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
712 N. Fountain Ave., Springfield, Ohio
For more information about upcoming events, please visit www.wittenberg.edu/music/events
