The Arkansas State University Concert Choir will present a concert Tuesday, Oct. 15, in Riceland Hall at Fowler Center, located at 201 Olympic Drive.

For 33 years under the direction of the late Alfred R. Skoog, former director of choral activities, the Male Chorus, Female Chorus and Concert Choir were presented on state and national convention programs, at Lincoln Center and international tours.

Under the direction of Dr. Dale Miller, director of choral activities since 1997, the choirs made an appearance in Carnegie Hall in March 2000. The Concert Choir, a 50-voice ensemble, has recently sung with professional orchestras from New York and Poland.

The most recent addition to the choral program, the 24-voice Chamber Singers, now in their fifth year, will present the traditional Madrigal Feaste. This spring the group will join choirs from six other Arkansas universities and the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, under the direction of maestro David Itkin.Twenty-four of Miller’s 30 years of teaching choral music were spent in Texas in high schools, Kilgore College in Texas, and Texas Tech University. His choirs have performed in Carnegie Hall three times, on three international tours, and for state and national music conventions. He has conducted professional orchestras in Mexico City, New York and Texas.

Miller holds professional memberships in the National Association of Schools of Music, American Choral Directors Association, Arkansas Choral Directors Association, ACDA-Arkansas, Arkansas Association of Schools of Music, Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Choral Directors Association, Texas Music Educators Association, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, professional music fraternity.

He and his wife Nancy, an elementary music teacher in Jonesboro, have four children and three grandchildren.

The Chamber Singer’s program will include Thomas A. Morley’s "Sing We and Chant It;" Giovanni Gabrielli’s "Lieto godea sedendo," (Joy Fills My Heart); Orlando di Lasso’s "Es jagt ein Jager vor dem Holz," (A Huntsman Hunts Outside the Wood); Wolfgang Mozart’s "Te deum,," Gustav Holst’s "Autumn Song;" and Leonard Bernstein’s "Warm Up." Miller and Meagan Adams will conduct, and the group will be accompanied by Ellen Philpot. Other accompanists include Rebecca Markowski, Jenny Pham, and John T. Hays.

Adams, a choral graduate student, moved to Jonesboro in 1989 and graduated from Nettleton High School in 1995. She received her bachelor of music education degree in December 200l, after studying with David Niederbrach, Matthew Carey and Miller. She will conduct the Te Deums of Wolfgang Mozart and John Rutter, and submit a supporting document which compares the two works.She will receive her master’s degree in December.

The Concert Choir’s program will consist of Kirke Mechem’s "Three Motets, Op. 57;" Randall Thompson’s "Choose Something Like a Star;" John Rutter’s"Te Deum," Moses Hogan’s "I’m Gonna sing ‘til the Spirit Moves in My Heart;" and Steven Burnett’s "Jubilate Deo." Local high school choirs from Westside, Valley View and Brookland will join the choir on selected pieces.

The concert choir personnel are Cassie Black of Searcy, Lisa Blakely of Fort Smith, April Gordon of West Helena, Caycee Hennan of Highland, Emily Rodgers and Sylenia Lewis, both of Jonesboro, Krystal Story of Camden, and Emily Terwilliger of Russellville, soprano I; Betsy Ashcraft of Horn Lake, Miss., Tiffany Flanagan of Manila, Cati Holiman of Gideon, Mo., Stacy Olm of North Little Rock, Erin Sims of Searcy and Hayley Ralston of Pine Bluff, soprano II; Rachel Jaramillo, Chantal McPherson and Rachel Warnick, all of Jonesboro, Jessica Crociata of Tampa, Fla., Sarah Stutts of Manila, Patty Taylor of McCook, Texas, and Match Shiono of Forrest City, alto I;

Marla Thomas of Jacksonville, Missy Martin of Wynne, Jenny Pham of Maple Grove, Minn., Crystal Richards of Osceola and Lauren Hawkins of Jonesboro, alto II; Edmond Hampton of Fort Smith, Daniel Harrelson of Warren, Andrew Kjorlaug and Jonathan Schug, both of Paragould, Keith Westbrook of Benton and Calvin Key of Little Rock, baritone; Randy Anis of Pocahontas, Corey Emerson of Poplar Bluff, Mo., Chase Gist of Wynne, John T. Hays of Jonesboro, Justin Lowe of Highland, Patrick Manes of Bryant, Matt Cureton of Arbyrd, Mo., Justin Griffin of Sikeston, Mo., and Nicholas Sheppard of Doniphan, Mo., tenor I; Ryan Bane of Trumann, Brent Butler of Stuttgart, Chris France of Little Rock and Justin Patterson of Lepanto, tenor II.

Chamber Singers personnel includes Black, Blakely, Terwilliger, Story, Crow, Holiman, Cureton, Sheppard, France, Crociata, McPherson, Warnick, Hawkins, Pham, Richards, Hampton, Kjorlaug, Schug, Westbrook, Emerson, Gist, Hays and Lowe.

The free concert is open to the public. For more information please call the Department of Music at 870-972-2094.

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