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Houghton Choir Review

By Alaska Dunstan

This past Friday marked the final concert in the Spring 2023 Houghton Choir tour. The theme of the tour was Christ, Our Home. The Houghton Choir performed in 5 states before returning home to the Houghton Chapel for the last concert in this series. 

There were several memorable moments including the reading of an original poem by Linette Taylor. Linette wrote the poem as a reflection of the choir tour and was encouraged by other members of the choir to read it aloud at the final performance.

There was a multitude of beautiful music performed including a composition by Ethan Carr, a graduate student, who also sings in the Houghton Choir. This piece, I Went To the Woods, was conducted by Rebakah Scharf, a fellow graduate student who also had a solo during another piece. The choir also performed pieces such as Christ the Appletree,  Here I Am, Lord, and Great is Thy Faithfulness. My personal favorite was Roll, Jordan, Roll, an exciting song that was performed extremely well by the Houghton Choir. The choir was conducted by Dr. Dibble for the remainder of the performance. 

Overall the concert was a huge success for the Houghton Choir and was a very strong finish to the Spring 2023 tour. ★

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Houghton Choir 2023 Tour

Courtesy of Andrew Reith
By Josey Ikker

Over Spring Break from Feb. 24 through Mar. 3, the Houghton University Choir traveled around New York, to Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia for their Choir Tour. 

Each night, the Houghton Choir had the opportunity to spread the message of Christ through music in Salamanca, Hamburg and Webster, NY; Bird In Hand, Greencastle and State College, PA; and Sterling, VA. The choir also had the opportunity to work with local high schools in PA, VA and MD, participating in workshops, chapel services and rehearsals, as well as performing excerpts of their concerts. 

The Houghton Choir is the only ensemble in the Greatbatch School of Music that consists of students who are sophomores and above and have been practicing traditional choral music since the beginning of the academic school year. 

Dr. Kevin Dibble, the conductor of the Houghton choir and director of choral activities at Houghton, expresses his thoughts on Tour, stating that his favorite experience was “spending time getting to know all of the students on Tour.” 

Rebekah Scharf, a second-year graduate student in conducting, and the assistant conductor for Houghton choir, also expresses her thoughts, stating, “I loved getting to meet people and just getting some good bonding time with the choir.” 

The Houghton Choir’s statement of mission states as follows: “As the Houghton Choir, we seek to glorify God personally and corporately by upholding and extending a rich tradition of excellence in choral music. Through a diversity of choral literature, we aspire to minister the life-transforming power of God’s love and grace to all who hear us. We strive to live humbly as a community of individuals who love and value each other because of our desire to reach others for Him and our understanding of Christ’s love for us as His children. Soli deo Gloria; Latin for To God be the Glory.

Many favorite pieces of repertoire from the program include composers by Elaine Hagenberg, Stacey Gibbs, Alice Parker, Dan Forrest, and Larry Fleming, as well as a premiere piece written for Tour and composed by Ethan Carr, another 2nd-year graduate student. 

“‘I Went to the Woods’ was written by one of my closest friends [Ethan Carr] and it was wonderful getting the chance to conduct it,” says Scharf, who was mentioning her favorite pieces from the concert.

Her other favorite piece is “O Love”, although she was uncertain exactly why it was meaningful to her. 

“It just touched me more and more and it was also one of those pieces where we had choral members from other churches join us,” says Scharf.

Dr. Dibble also listed his favorite repertoire.

In “Christ the Appletree”, “I was reminded that all of the students have shown me the goodness of God and I think about all the students as fruit and the goodness it has shown,” says Dr. Gibble. “‘Great is Thy Faithfulness’ is a fantastic hymn of the faith all of our audiences and singers can relate to. ‘Give Me Jesus’ has meant a lot to me since I was a student [at Houghton] and continuing that tradition has been a privilege.”

All are welcome to come and worship with the Houghton Choir at their free concert “Christ Our Home” on Friday, Mar. 10 at 7:30 p.m. in the Wesley Chapel. ★

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Arts

New Vocal Ensemble: “The Houghton Singers”

Houghton College ChoirThis semester Houghton will be welcoming the new vocal ensemble, the Houghton Singers.  This group will be dedicated to bringing more contemporary arrangements, including hits from The Beatles and Tom Petty.  The Singers’ coordinator, Kevin Dibble, said the idea for this group began last year when Voces8 performed on campus and was received with an “overwhelming interest”.  The Houghton Singers hope to reflect a similar acapella sound.

Traditionally, the Houghton Music Department has been devoted to the genre of classical music.  Dibble, Assistant Director of Choral Activities, acknowledges that while it is still important to study and perform conventional pieces, it is also vital to “recognize that the world of music is changing”.  Houghton is now providing a more diverse course offering that include studies in commercial compositional activity and music business.  The Houghton Singers look forward to being a continuation of the recent appreciation for a more varied music scene on campus.

Simba Kamuriwo, a senior music major, is just one of the 13 vocalists that make up the Houghton Singers.  Kamuriwo is looking forward to “giving more variety to the music program that already exists,” and describes the group as a “selection of different students from numerous studies”.  The ensemble consists of both undergraduate and graduate students.

One hope that the Houghton Singers have as a group is to encourage the idea that music at Houghton is for everyone.  Dibble also serves as Coordinator of Music Admissions and Recruitment, and said that part of the institution’s plan as a liberal arts college is to have the opportunity for all to participate in the music program, whether or not it is their area of study.  This group has the potential to attract more people who may have been turned off from the previous repertoire.  Dibble is excited to have the chance to “marry” the classical and the contemporary music worlds.

Admittance into the Houghton Singers was very selective, beginning with initial auditions, followed by callbacks held Friday, September 6.  After the ensemble’s first rehearsal, Kamuriwo was “impressed by the level of commitment” evident in the group.  Kamuriwo is looking forward to getting to know his fellow vocalists and said, “We have a common goal that drives us . . . we are all going to put our hearts into this, work hard, and set a standard for performing in this genre.”

Sophomore Religion major, Hope McKeever, who will be singing alto in the Houghton Singers, is just one of the vocalists that will be adding to the diversity of this new group.  McKeever has previously sung in various choirs, festivals, and musicals.  She described her current involvement with the Singers as her, “first musical endeavor at Houghton” and said this is an unique opportunity for students.  Although Mckeever is not studying music, she can find connections between her area of study and this ensemble. and said she, “appreciates the relationship of discipline as well as the ability of gaining a new perspective”.

In looking toward the future, the Houghton Singers are excited to sing in chapel and SPOT as well as travel to local schools.  This vocal ensemble plans to serve as ambassadors; outreaching and connecting with others through music.  This is especially feasible due to the group’s convenient small  size, which opens the door to more possibilities.

Most importantly, Kevin Dibble said that the goal behind the Houghton Singers is to have a “clear intention for God . . . although the music may be secular, every performance [will] be given to God as another way to thank Him for gifts He has given.”