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Raising Up Christian Fathers

By President Wayne D. Lewis, Jr.

On my birthday, my father often reminds me that I was born the same night as Lionel, the fictional son of George and Louise Jefferson on the hit 1970s and 1980s sitcom, The Jefferson’s. I always thought that coincidence was amusing, particularly since I was such a fan of the show as a child. George Jefferson’s antics as a father, husband, neighbor, and businessman were comedic gold to me. In hindsight, George Jefferson was likely one of the first tv dads to in some way shape the way I saw fatherhood. He would not be the last.

The fictional Heathcliff Huxtable was the loving and affable father of the well-to-do Huxtable family in the 1980s and 1990s hit, The Cosby Show1. More than just Thursday night laughs, each episode provided sketches of loving and responsible fatherhood in an upper middle class African American family. I wanted to be a Cliff Huxtable kind of dad—a responsible provider and protector who loved and adored his family, and whose family loved and adored him back.

While these tv vignettes of fatherhood were without a doubt impactful on my evolving conceptualization of manhood and fatherhood, thankfully, I had much more to go on. My father was the most significant model of fatherhood in my formative years. Much more than what I could see in a tv episode, I was blessed to see and experience fatherhood daily. I had the added blessing of having grandfathers and uncles who also played prominent roles in modeling manhood and fatherhood for me.

Fatherhood certainly includes the moments sitcom episodes are built around, but truth be told, the questions and challenges that made for good Cosby Show episodes tend to be the easier part of fatherhood.  Much more than the advice I give when my daughter is working through a difficult situation or how I respond when she has broken something she shouldn’t have been touching, fatherhood is about the daily, really important but not exciting enough for tv things. Fatherhood is day-after-day, your kid knowing he can count on you to be there. Fatherhood is your kid knowing that even when she has made a big mistake and might have consequences to face, your love and affection is unfailing, and you will walk through it with her every step of the way.

Kids certainly want to travel to exciting places and be treated with surprises like toys and ice cream. But what ends up being much more important is being a consistent protector and provider, wiping tears, giving hugs, providing encouragement in the face of a disappointment or setback, and for Christian men, modeling Christian fatherhood. Whether a girl or a boy, children need to see Christian manhood modeled up close and personal. I understand that as my daughter watches me, she is getting a behind the scenes look at Christian manhood, and collecting data on marriage, fatherhood, friendships, and Christian living when no one else is watching. I know the way I live, the way I care for her and her mother, and the way I pray with and for them will be much more impactful on her life and her understanding of and relationship with men than any message I ever preach.

As Houghton’s president, I carry my passion for Christian manhood and fatherhood into my work. Personally, I strive to be one of the Christian men in our university community who models Christian fatherhood; not just the tv vignettes or fatherhood, but the behind the scenes, day-to-day, not-very-exciting stuff. At Houghton, we are blessed to have many men in our Houghton community who do just that, and who continually make themselves accessible to students to be dad-like figures while students are away from home.

I want Houghton to be known as a place that celebrates and takes the formation of Christian young men seriously. God formed us in His image, men and women, with purpose and intentionality. God’s purpose is for men and women, fathers and mothers, to complement each other, playing crucial and complementary roles in families and communities My prayer and intent is that Houghton will continue to play an important role in the spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional formation of young men who will boldly model Christian manhood and fearlessly love, provide, and protect as fathers and father figures in their homes and communities. ★

  1. Please note that I am referring to the fictional character, not the actor/comedian himself. ↩︎
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Campus News

The 35th Annual Juried Student Show

35th Annual Juried Student Show poster - Courtesy of Linda Knapp
By Rebecca Dailey ('25)

The 35th Annual Juried Student Show Exhibition will open on March 8, 2024 in the Ortlip Gallery, housed in the Center for the Arts. The gallery reception opens at 6:30 p.m. and continues until 8:30 p.m.. Students of both art and non-art majors may participate in the exhibition, and have leeway in both the subject and art form of their works. However, they are limited to the number of works they can enter. The art featured in the exhibition will be a range of ceramics, sculptures, photos, drawings, and oil and watercolor paintings, among others. The exhibition judges will be accompanied by a guest juror, who decides the pieces that will appear in the show, as well as the pieces that will receive awards.

“The Student Juried Show provides a really neat opportunity for students to demonstrate their artistic abilities to their friends, family, and all of us in the Houghton Community,” Professor Linda Knapp, the Ortlip Gallery Director & University Art Collection Manager, stated. “My role as gallery director falls under the leadership of the Art Department. I work alongside our art faculty and help them to make the gallery function smoothly. It’s so much fun to see the different works that get submitted and then solve the puzzle of figuring out how to display them in a way that’s aesthetically and visually pleasing.” 

The Ortlip Gallery has previously featured works from professors of Houghton University and outside artists. 

“The Ortlip Gallery serves to further educate our art major students by exposing them to outside artists, as well allowing our students to have the hands-on experience of displaying their own work in a professional gallery,” Professor Knapp added.

Some of the students entered in the Juried Student Show are Savannah Stitt (‘24), Hannah Smith (‘24), Aubree Niles (‘24) and Aubrey Armes (‘25). 

This is the third year Stitt has displayed her work in the Gallery. She predominantly works with photography, but has submitted oil paintings in the past. 

“In my experience as an artist, I have come to realize two things. I am creative in ways I didn’t realize for a long time, and inspiration comes and goes in waves,” Stitt explained. “It’s important to grab hold of those ideas when they come because they’re not guaranteed to stay.”

Niles is also participating for the third year. Her main art form is oils, but she also works in watercolor, ceramics and photography. 

“Art has been a way for me to process difficult emotions and complex life events,” Niles stated. “My current body of work is especially evident of that. I focus the most on my use of color and brushstrokes to convey emotion.”

Professor Knapp would like to express her gratitude towards being able to open the Juried Student Show and playing a role in the Gallery’s exhibitions. “I love how the Gallery brings us all together into these sacred spaces and moments,” Professor Knapp said, “granting us pause to reflect on our lives and to understand each other better. It has been a real honor for me to be a part of such a successful Art Program here at Houghton, and I just want to send out a big thanks to all the students who have submitted their work for this upcoming show!” ★

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Campus News

Hall Brawl 2024

Hall Brawl 2023 Photo
By Juliana Schmidt ('25)

Another year…another Hall Brawl! The week-long, Olympic-style friendly competition between Gillette, Lambein, Roth and the Townhouses will begin on March 11. There will be daily events for each hall to complete as well as Spirit Days. 

Monday, March 11 is the first day of Spirit Week and the theme is Pajama Day. Come out ready to support your hall in this fun and easy way to show some school spirit. Additionally, prizes will be offered to the first fifty winners of Monday’s first event called the Opening Ceremony Splosion. Look forward to tasting some yummy food on Wednesday for the Bake Off!

The Hunt takes place every day where each team will have to solve a clue, and the team who solves it first will win points for their team. 

“RA and CAB and other student leaders have been working really hard to put this event together. I worked on the Just Dance event happening on Thursday and it will be taking place in the CFA recital hall. It will be super fun!” Jenna Strahan (‘24) an Resident Assistant (RA) of Gillette shared. “Hall Brawl is a time for all of us to come together in the spring semester and compete against each other and have a bunch of fun!”

Alexa Binney (‘24) a member of the Campus Activities Board (CAB) said that although it is her first year involved in the planning process, it has been very cool to get a look at what goes into making the Hall Brawl 2024 happen. 

“All members of CAB and reslife teams get split into randomized teams, each gets assigned to one day of the week, and it’s been a fun experience getting to work with people outside my usual team,” Binney revealed. 

Unfortunately, the Townhouses have been going through a streak of bad luck with previous Hall Brawls and have not won in quite a while. To help prompt their residents into a more competitive spirit, Esther Tse (‘25) an RA of the Townhouses revealed a shocking surprise if they win. 

“I’m excited to see what Hall Brawl will look like,” Tse said, “and if the townhouses win Josh Bailey [Resident Director of the Townhouses] will shave his head.” 

The winner of Hall Brawl 2024 will be announced on Saturday, March 16, during SPOT! 

May the best hall win…and the odds be ever in your favor. ★

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Stories In Focus

Feature: Carolyn Miller

By Anna Catherman ('24)

When Carolyn Paine left the Houghton to go to Vietnam in 1961, she “didn’t cry until she was on the plane.”

“I’m not a person who made unusual, brave, or wild decisions,” Carolyn claims. But when John Miller telephoned her to propose, she agreed.

John had stayed in her family’s home during his years at Houghton College, which she also attended. Wycliffe Bible Translators had assigned him to Vietnam. 

A month after Carolyn’s arrival, they were married. They lived in a thatched house among the Bru people, and started translating the Bible. John and Carolyn began raising a family together; all four of their children were born in Vietnam. 

In 1975, their work came to an abrupt stop. Just as the Millers were finishing typesetting and proofreading, they were captured and held as prisoners of war for eight months. Their youngest daughter, LuAnne (five years old at the time), was with them. Their older children, Gordie, Nate and Margie, had been evacuated. They were sent back to Houghton to live with their grandparents.

John, Carolyn and LuAnne were shuffled from one camp to another before ultimately being released – without their manuscripts.

“When we had to leave without the translation, that seemed like the end,” Carolyn said. 

But she and John were able to continue their work long-distance. In 2014, their team finished translating the entire Bible into Bru. 

Today, retired, Miller continues to translate. She works on one chapter of the Tang Old Testament each day. Currently, she’s back-translating the book of Esther to ensure accuracy. She sits at her desktop computer with a four-language translation screen open, fingers trembling slightly. Surrounding her are framed Bible verses and shelves of other translations she has worked on. 

Four times a week, she shares meals with her daughters, LuAnne Brubaker and Marge Doty, and their families. Miller sits on two church committees. Paul Shea, a retired pastor at the Houghton Wesleyan Church, serves aside Miller on the church’s mission committee. He called her service on the missions committee “invaluable.” Despite the difficulties on the war-torn mission field, “[s]he doesn’t ask for sympathy, she asks for service,” he added.

She hosts Bible studies and organizes potlucks when missionaries come to visit. And Miller keeps up with her friends across the world. Using the convenience of Facebook messenger, they communicate from time zones twelve hours apart.

“I’m at the hospital with a little girl who’s sick. Pray for her,” one friend asks, a picture attached of a tiny child curled up on a cot. 

Another asks for prayers for his son, who has eye problems.

She is grateful for the technology that has allowed her to keep translating while living close to family, and to remain connected with the people she and her late husband ministered to.

She’s also glad that her friends have “learned to call not in the middle of the night, I think.” ★

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Opinions

The Constant Pursuit of Something Greater

By Evelyn Simanowski

What is a Vocal Performance major’s art? Short answer: I spend a lot of time singing songs I think are pretty. That probably seems like a rhetorical question and an even more obvious answer, though it’s not an answer I’m adverse to giving. I could say “I spend hours in a tiny practice room every day,” or “I’m taking 19 credits before ensembles,” or best yet, “I’ve shaped my entire lifestyle to meet the physical demands of being a vocalist.” Are these answers dramatic? Absolutely; but they hold just as much truth within them as they hold drama. I wouldn’t be in this major if these truths weren’t worth it.

I consider the art of singing to be one of complete connectivity and a far more dynamic art form than it appears at surface level. My career as a vocalist relies almost entirely on my ability to interpret and bring life to song, requiring me to view the piece through its historical, cultural, and artistic contexts. This idea of connection begins when I start studying a new piece of music. I’m first connecting with the notes and rhythms on the page, that’s a given, but during that time I also consider myself to be connecting with the composer and their intent. Despite having never met any of these composers, there’s a real closeness I feel with them when I consider what inspired them to write this music and exactly what they were trying to share with their audiences. There’s no guarantee that the circumstances and narrative they were writing in will fit my own; they hardly ever do. There is, however, a guarantee that each of these composers I’m honoring is an image bearer that shared in the human experience and used their God-given talents to express such experiences. 

My connection with the piece only grows as I spend more time with it and begin pouring my own personal experiences into the piece. The art of song, like any art form, requires interpretation. In this case, I the performer can interpret the piece in a way that is personally meaningful to my story and maintains the integrity given to it by the composer. Most of the music I choose to sing is by composers from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. While they’re not working with me in person, the intentional time and consideration I spend interpreting their work makes it feel as though there’s active collaboration going on between the two of us. They spent hours writing these pieces and now I have the privilege of spending hours working them in the practice room to bring them their due respect.

Any time I perform a piece of music, I believe that life is truly breathed into it when it’s shared with others and given what my voice professor and I call “people energy.” The exchange of energy that happens at this point in the process is electrifying and quite frankly what keeps me coming back for more. Within a single song, I’m exerting pure energy in my performance, exchanging energy with my collaborator(s), and feeling reciprocated energy from the audience. This dynamic energy exchange grants me the opportunity to share the meaning I’ve found in the composer’s piece with a group of individuals that can receive the meaning and interpret it through their own personal experiences and convictions. Standing on the stage and baring a little bit of my soul to an audience is, of course, a vulnerable experience. But in that vulnerability, there’s an even greater opportunity to share the joy and meaning I’ve found in the music.

My job doesn’t end when I step off the stage, nor is there any discernible goal or finish line I’m trying to reach. There are goals I have along the way, each of them indicative of a certain accomplishment or level of progress, but none of them representing perfection. It’s a grim thought, honestly, that no matter how hard I work or how talented I am, I will never achieve perfection in my performance, just as I will never be a perfect Christian. Still, I strive for excellence in all that I do, reminding myself that it’s okay to never achieve perfection. I remain conscious of the fact that I am honing the gifts God has given to me to be used to the best of my ability for His glory. I recognize the gift it is to bring new life to the work of my predecessors and to connect with countless individuals through a language that only He could create. I thank God for the art He has given me and the course He has set before me so that I may be in the constant pursuit of something greater. Soli Deo gloria. ★

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Campus News

Lambein’s Got Talent

Lambein's Got Talent poster - Courtesy of Caleb Welker
By Isabella Bratton ('26)

Lambein’s Got Talent will take place on Saturday, Feb. 17, from 8-9 p.m. in the CFA Recital Hall.

11 Lambein Hall residents will be showcasing their unique talents with the potential to win up to $100. At the end of the show, the audience will have the opportunity to choose a winner to receive the prize. 

Senior Nuri Park (‘24), the Assistant Resident Director, explained that they took the name “Lambein’s Got Talent” from both the famous show “America’s Got Talent” and “Britain’s Got Talent.” The talent show was started last 2022-2023 school year by the male Resident Assistants (RA) of Lambein.

All of Lambein’s RAs have been involved in the preparation process in different ways; advertising, emailing, hosting and judging.

Park said that, although the audience will be choosing the winner, the RAs have a part in making sure it’s a fair competition. 

“The RA’s,” Park stated, “mediate the votes to make sure there is no audience bias, but the audience ultimately decides the winner.”

The performers will provide a wide variety of entertainments for the audience, such as singing, poetry recitation, dancing, playing instruments, a weather forecast and more. Park mentioned an exciting act called “Master of balance,” although he wouldn’t divulge the details about it. At last year’s show, Junior Ethan McCarthy (‘25) remarked that groups played kazoos, the piano and danced.

“Guys are excited to show off to the school,” McCarthy, a judge for the event, said, “we have put a lot of work into this, and it will be a fun night.”

It won’t just be one person walking away with $100. There is a second place award of $50 and third place will receive $25.

Students are highly encouraged to attend, and the hosts are sure audience members will walk away entertained. 

“I think the campus needs an event where people can just have fun and relax,” Park stated. ★

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Campus News

Houghton Baseball Team’s Double Header

Men's baseball team practicing - Courtesy of sophia templeton
By Caleb Welker ('26)

Houghton University’s baseball team is scheduled to open the season with a Double Header in the Kerr-Pegula Athletic Complex on Saturday, Feb. 17 at 12 p.m. and then at 3 p.m. against the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. The team will then travel to Florida for the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational Tournament over Winter Break.

Last season the baseball team finished in third place with a record of 19 wins and 20 losses (11 wins and 7 losses in conference play) and clinched a spot in the Empire 8 Conference Playoffs. Although the Highlanders fell short in the double-elimination tournament, they look to bounce back and work their way into the playoffs again this semester. 

After ten seniors graduated last Spring 2023—including the leader in batting average (Zach Parr), the team’s ERA Leader (Hunter Kendall) and the program’s all-time stolen base leader (Jason Kauffeldt)—the Highlanders welcomed in twelve new players: ten freshmen and two transfer students.  

Another addition to the team includes the new Graduate Assistant Pitching Coach Nick Pettit. Coach Pettit graduated in the Class of 2023 after four years at Covenant College in Georgia, and joined the team in Aug. of 2023. His wife, Riley Pettit is the Graduate Assistant Coach of the women’s volleyball team.

Freshman pitcher, Marshall Cummings (‘27) commented, “Coach Pettit, has brought a new sense of life and rejuvenation to the pitching staff and has helped us tap into our full potential, both mentally and physically.”

Senior Captain Chris VanCheri (‘24) noted that many upperclassmen, and even sophomores, have been stepping up into leadership roles after pivotal players graduated from the team. VanCheri pointed out that this highlights the Highlander baseball team’s ideals.

“We always say in our program that as you progress through your four years, each year you have to start putting others before yourself,” VanCheri stated.

“Nothing excites me more than taking the field with my brothers,” VanCheri expressed. “At the end of the day, we truly are a family. We have a tight-knit group that I see only getting closer as the season progresses. I’m excited for the younger guys to get their first taste of college ball, and I’m excited to see the challenges we will face and how we will overcome them.” 

“Pitt-Bradford is returning off of a decent season, and we know they’re going to be competitive,” noted Senior Captain and pitcher, Ethan Cetton (‘24). “This game is going to be our first stepping stone to finding success as a team with lots of raw talent.” 

Houghton lost to Pitt-Bradford (8-3) at the beginning of last season, so they look to push back and take two wins against the Panthers on Saturday. ★

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Campus News

Senior Composition Recitals

By Jiana Martin ('26)

Two senior composition recitals are coming up with Citlali Sanchez-Acosta’s (‘24) occurring on Monday Feb. 19 and Kaitlin Kleinau’s (‘24) recital on Wednesday Feb. 21. Both will be in the Center for the Arts Recital Hall at 6:30 p.m., and each hour-long performance will feature the artists’ original works.

Sanchez-Acosta is a music composition major who transferred to Houghton University from her local community college and has enjoyed her time in the Greatbatch School of Music program.

“It’s a really good program. It’s pretty close-knit, which is really nice and everyone supports each other,” Sanchez-Acosta reflected.  

Her recital will include eight to nine pieces, most of which she has written while at Houghton, which will be performed by around 20 performers. It will be a mix and match of solo instruments, smaller ensemble pieces and vocal songs.

Inspiration for her music comes partly from need-based occasions and partly from pure inspiration. 

“Inspiration comes and goes and sometimes I just start messing around. This recital is a little bit of both necessity and inspiration,” Sanchez-Acosta commented. 

Although there is no overarching theme, identifiers for the pieces are developing skills and time passing. The recital is a culmination of everything she has written.

“The pieces themselves are not a series of anything,” Sanchez-Acosta explained, “there are a bunch of different themes and motifs. I’m bringing back a lot of my old works. One thing I know I’m definitely going for in this recital is seeing the progression.”

She likes keeping the original versions of her old works and then later refine them to see how she’s progressed and improved. During her time at Houghton, the community and her professors have greatly influenced her.

“My professors have definitely been a part of [influencing me]. Dr. Magin and Professor Ashbaugh have been super helpful in guiding,” Sanchez-Acosta thoughtfully said, “and community has definitely helped motivate.”

Kleinau is also a transfer student pursuing a music composition major with an additional vocal performance minor. The theme for her recital is “Woman Becoming: Love Letters” which deals with the idea of love in different forms, especially grief and love. Her inspiration for this theme came from an interest in different types of love such as familial and agape love, and wanting to explore more of it. 

“I usually come up with a cool title and see how that works out,” Kleinau explained.   

One of the pieces, “Echo” talks about a lost love and begging him to return while another piece, “Daffodils Never Die” is about her grandmother who passed away.  

Kleinau’s recital will include eight pieces that are both vocal and instrumental ranging from choral pieces to a piano solo to a flute piece, and more. She will be performing in “Daffodils Never Die” and many classmates will help bring her music to life. 

“Most of them have been so gracious and willing,” Kleinau gratefully said. 

Reflecting on her time at Houghton, Kleinau considers it being a sort of rebirth as she has grown so much since she started. Kleinau attributes inspiration for her music to classes, professors and music she has listened to. Helpful advice she received from Dr. Carrie Magin was to listen to a hundred pieces before writing an original. 

“Theory classes and music history are helpful. A lot of times it [composing] comes from listening and from what you want to write and hear. It is creativity paired with prior knowledge,” Kleinau noted. 

For Kleinau, a valuable part of being in the Greatbatch School of Music program is that she is seen as a person first and a musician second. She’s experienced grace and care as a person and has been encouraged to become the best musician she can be. 

“I see music as an expression of one’s soul; therefore, you want to do it in a way that honors God,” Kleinau expressed. “You want God to be a part of that. It’s not for my own glory, but for God’s glory.”

Dr. Magin, Associate Professor of Music Composition and Theory, has enjoyed working with both Sanchez-Acosta and Kleinau, and watching their growth. As a professor, she loves hearing how audiences react to her students’ compositions.

“I look forward to the final product as their work is shared with our community,” Dr. Magin commented. “It’s a unique gift to be able to create something that moves people, and even more special to help bring that ability out in student composers. These students have worked very hard to put on their recitals, and it’s a great joy seeing and hearing it all come together.” ★

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Campus News

Houghton Chamber Choir

Chamber Choir Spring 2023 - Courtesy of Dr. Sharon Johnson
By Josey Ikker ('24)

On Friday Feb. 9, the Houghton Chamber Choir will present their concert titled “Christ With Me” at 6:30 p.m. for Greatbatch School of Music’s upcoming Preview Day. 

Every semester, Houghton hosts a School of Music Preview Day for prospective students who are looking to either major, minor or have a concentration in music. This preview day consists of a tour around the Center for the Arts, sitting in on a classroom setting, such as Music Theory, observations of Houghton Choir, interacting with current students and faculty, a student recital and a featured ensemble performance.

The Chamber Choir is a fourteen-member select ensemble. In order to audition, students must be at least a sophomore who is also in the Houghton Choir. 

The Chamber Choir was started in Dec. 2022 by Dr. Kevin Dibble, conductor of the Chamber Choir, Men’s Choir and Women’s Choir, and the Associate Director of Choral Activities. 

The Chamber Choir as Dr. Dibble described, “is a unique organization. It’s small, it can fit in different spaces. It can take advantage of different things.”

Recently, the ensemble participated in a Choir retreat before the first day of classes in which they learned a list of repertoire in less than a week and had the opportunity to perform for a Senior’s Luncheon at Family Life Ministries on Jan. 11.  

The ensemble’s repertoire consists of Renaissance music and traditional hymns, and the works featured for the upcoming Preview Day performance are by composers such as Gjelio, Flummerfelt, Paulus, Fleming and Stroope. 

Dr. Dibble explained the theme of the concert as “a representation of different stages in life in which these songs are used to inspire and remind us that Christ is with us.” 

One of Dr. Dibble’s favorite pieces in the concert is “The Deer’s Cry” by Arvo Pärt because, “that’s where the title of the concert [Christ with Me] comes from. Musically, seems to not do a lot but textually is very powerful.” He also shared that, “the simplicity of the music drives the listener and the singer to the significance of the text.”

Another factor for this concert is the location which will not be in the Recital Hall but in the atrium. 

“Visually the atrium presents a different aesthetic than a typical concert hall,” Dr. Dibble stated, “and this is the Chamber Choir’s first stand-alone concert…let’s do a little something out of the ordinary.” 

Dr. Dibble has expressed his enjoyment of working with the Chamber Choir, because they are a group of high-level, talented singers who “move quickly and make really great music.” 

Rachael McVeigh (‘23), a first-year graduate student, will be featured as another conductor for the concert. She will be conducting “O Radiant Dawn” by James MacMillan and “Estoy Les Digo” by Kinley Lange. 

“I like doing these two pieces together because they’re so different that I can work on two different skillsets,” McVeigh explained. “Estoy les Digo has a lot of slow and legato versus O Radiant Dawn which has a lot of sharp dynamic contrasts with similar interesting chord progressions.”

McVeigh has been singing with many of the Chamber Choir members for the past four years.

“It’s fun to get to conduct with my friends,” McVeigh said, “and have that support as I step into this new role.” 

All are welcome to attend and listen to the Chamber Choir in “Christ With Me” in the Center for the Arts Atrium. ★

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Campus News

Voice Recitals

Evelyn Simanowski (Courtesy of Hannah Sturdivant) and Sophia Pantea Posters
By Juliana Schmidt ('25)

On Monday Feb. 12 in the Center for the Arts Recital Hall, Sophia Pantea (‘24) will perform her Senior Recital at 6:30 p.m. and Evelyn Simanowski’s (‘25) Junior Recital will begin at 8 p.m., respectively. 

Professor Kimberly Prins Moeller, the Associate Professor of Voice, disclosed that Pantea’s recital will be full of beautiful and romantic music. It will involve a lot of “soaring melodies” and “heartfelt moments.” 

The title Pantea chose for her recital is “Fill My Heart.” She chose this partly because it is from her favorite musical “The Sound of Music”, but also because of the people at Houghton who have inspired her. 

“I am so blessed to be at Houghton and I have grown so much thanks to my loving teachers,” Pantea said. “This recital is a thank you to my friends and professors for helping me through [these] past few years.” 

As this is Pantea’s senior year at Houghton, she has worked very hard to get to this particular recital. While she is nervous, Pantea expressed that she is also super excited. 

Simanowski chose a French title for her recital called, “Scenes de Nuit” (translated as “Night Scenes”). She shared that the overall feelings for her recital are ones of excitement. 

Professor Prins Moeller revealed that there will be some unexpected twists and a few laughs to look forward to in Simanowski’s recital. 

“I’ve been present for many of her countless hours she’s put into practicing her French and it’s been quite a journey to get here,” Hannah Sturdivant (‘25) commented. “Getting to see her vision come to life in her recital hearing, photos, and poster has been uplifting to experience.” 

Simanowski confessed that it was very personal picking her own program, rehearsing and then presenting. She shared that her recital is her “passion project” and that sharing it with an audience will give her a feeling of satisfaction. 

“I’m expecting it to be a pretty vulnerable experience,” Simanowski admitted, “but I’m hoping in that vulnerability I can share the joy and meaning I found and this music with whoever comes.”

Professor Prins Moeller said that recitals are her favorite part of being an applied voice instructor. 

“I get to know these wonderful singers over several years of working together, then walk with them through the recital preparation process and witness their determination and growth, and finally get to see them bring all of the elements together into a cohesive evening that celebrates their talent, skill, and artistry,” Professor Prins Moeller commented. “It’s incredible!”

With both Pantea and Simanowski performing on the same night, it will prove to be an evening full of ups and downs, heartfelt lyrics and perhaps a few laughs. Overall, not a recital to be missed! ★