greatbach – Houghton STAR

By Abigail Hoover ('27)

It’s that time of the year again Highlanders! This weekend is Homecoming, when students can look forward to a plethora of activities on campus.

One of these events is the annual Collage Concert, in which five music ensembles from the Greatbatch School of Music—Houghton Choir, Houghton Wind Ensemble, Houghton Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Choir and the Highlander Chorus (previously known as the Men’s and Women’s Choir)—will be performing, along with Lyric Theatre. The performance will also include three of Houghton’s professors: saxophone professor Anne Kunkle and voice instructor Luke Ogden will be accompanied by Dr. Sharon Johnson on the piano.

The Collage Concert is “…an opportunity for our current campus community and our alumni to get a sense of the variety of music making opportunities that we have, and hopefully an enticement to come to the rest of our concerts,” said Dean David Clem, the Dean of the Greatbatch School of Music and Associate Professor of Music History.

“Music at Houghton is such a special experience for all of us and it becomes like a family. This is an opportunity to make new connections through something that we have shared, even though many have done so decades ago,” remarked Dr. Kevin Dibble, the Associate Director for the Greatbatch School of Music. Dr. Dibble also leads the choral ensembles of Chamber Choir and the Highlander Chorus.

“As musicians, what we do in our preparation is joyous because we love it, but it is also a difficult process,” he said.

Dr. Dibble described their limited time as the most difficult aspect in preparing for this concert, particularly because they have another concert the week after with an entirely different repertoire.

“The most enjoyable part of this concert preparation has been getting to know the new ensembles,” he said, and added that “it is always a fun process of getting to know the new students within the context of a pre-existing ensemble. I love the newness and thinking about the possibilities.”

Hannah Dunmire (‘26) is a junior in the Chamber Choir and explained that each ensemble would have prepared for about five weeks for the concert.

“The Chamber Choir only practices twice a week whereas for comparison Houghton Choir practices daily, which makes this quick turnaround challenging. However,” she added, “it is so fun to watch the Choir unite since the Chamber Choir is a smaller select group – we tend to move through pieces faster.”

While the students have been preparing for this concert since day one of the fall semester, “Dr. McGarvey and our other ensemble directors have been involved in music selection and working out details since this past June,” Dr. Clem said. Students and faculty have been working tirelessly to ensure they provide audiences with a night full of “variety, worship, and fun,” Dr. Dibble commented.

“We trust everyone who comes will be inspired and blessed by what they hear,” Dr. Timothy McGarvey, Wind Ensemble Conductor and Producer of the College Concert, said. “We aim to make music to God and to touch the lives of each person who hears us.”

The concert will occur tonight at 7:30 in the Wesley Chapel.

Coming up this weekend is also the much anticipated SPOT! The event takes place tomorrow night in the Wesley Chapel, from 9 to 11.

“[SPOT is] a big show where all of campus gets a chance to entertain their peers, where everyone gets a chance to celebrate campus culture and take [a] break from their busy lives as students,” Michael McCutcheon (‘26), one of SPOT’s hosts this year, described.

Matthew Foster (‘25) is the event’s other host, however both emphasized that they are not co-hosts.

“The theme of SPOT this year is ‘spotmania’. (A play on wrestlemania),” McCutcheon explained, “…we are competing hosts, constantly trying to get the spotlight and become the one and only host.”

10 acts participating in SPOT this year will “make you cry with laughter,” McCutcheon said. He also explained that there will be a SPOT band, “playing ‘fight’ themed songs” and a final “grand finale of purple vs. gold,” as Foster described it.

SPOT has been in the making for quite a long time now, with the hosts and acts working hard to bring the whole show together.

“I believe it was November of last year when Matthew approached me with the idea,” McCutcheon explained, “from then we slowly started brainstorming, thinking up ideas for our ‘spotmania’ theme, even doing things like watching 8 hours of wrestlemania while writing down notes in a google doc.”

Foster said that the most difficult part of SPOT was scheduling acts and the SPOT band for practices. He explained that it was hard to find a time that worked best for all the performers while not impeding upon academic and extracurricular activities. Besides scheduling, preparing for the show has been very enjoyable.

“Working with Michael McCutcheon to plan events has been a pleasure because we complement each other well,” Foster said.

To conclude, the hosts wanted you to know that “Purple and Gold is personal this year and the grand finale will be a MUST WATCH event with plenty of surprises…be prepared for it to become more than a comedy show!” Foster said. And McCutcheon hinted that “There’ll be many surprises coming in SPOT that no one will see coming.” ★

Houghton College Choir This 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.”