Monday, March 8, at 7:30 p.m. in Riceland Hall of the Fowler Center, Dr. Dale Miller will conduct a preview concert for the upcoming performance at Carnegie Hall in New York City by the Arkansas State University Singers, Harrisburg High School Select Choir (Elaine Nix, director), Kennett High School Varsity Singers (Krisie Holmes, director), and the Jonesboro area Community Choir.

The combined choirs will perform in New York City at Carnegie Hall on Sunday, March 21. The ASU Concert Orchestra with Dr. Neale Bartee, conductor, will provide accompaniment for the Preview Concert in Riceland Hall on March 8.

The work to be presented is California composer Morten Lauridsen's "Lux Aeterna," a choral piece in five movements played without pause. The texts are all on the theme "Eternal Light" and are taken from the Latin requiem mass, Latin hymns, and the Te Deum.

The work was commissioned and premiered in 1994 by the Los Angeles Master Chorale, Paul Salomunovich, conductor.

The ASU Concert Choir will also perform on the March 8 concert.  The Concert Choir, comprised of 47 singers representing various colleges at ASU, will present living composers' works written since the turn of the 21st century.

At the March 8 concert, four of the selections were recently presented at the Society of Composers concert on January 30, including the world premiere of The Book of Nightmares composed by Dr. Timothy Crist of the ASU faculty. 

Graduate conducting students Sherry Fagan and Carolyn Smith will share directing duties with Miller on this portion of the concert. Fagan will conduct Joshua Shank's Musica animam tangens, the winner of the 2003 American Choral Directors Association Student Composition Award. Smith will conduct Magnificat, a setting by English composer/choirmaster Phillip Moore.  Ellen Philpot, ASU adjunct instructor of music, accompanies the group.

The majority of the singers in the preview concert will perform the Lauridsen work in Carnegie Hall on March 21 under Miller's direction and will be accompanied by the New England Symphonic Ensemble, a professional orchestra from greater New York. Each of the choirs were selected for the New York performance by MidAmerica Productions Inc. The Harding Academy Chorus of Searcy, and the Piscataway High School Singers of Piscataway, N.J., will join the local singers for rehearsals in New York and the Carnegie Hall performance.

The ASU Singers and Concert Choir include: Rachel Barton of Sheridan, Cassie Black of Searcy, Caycee Cantu of Highland, Samantha Jolley of New Madrid, Mo., Jamie Thompson of Rison, Krystal Story of Camden, Mandy Walker of White Hall, Sherry Fagan of Valrico, Fla., Elizabeth Hendricks, Kristina Kellems, and Sylenia Lewis, all of Jonesboro, soprano I; Sasha Powers and Crystal Stormes, both of Paragould, Tara Skinner of Daytona Beach, Fla., Brioney Hellums of Mount Pleasant, Lilly Miller of Mayflower, Secret Rackley, Carol Ann Segraves, Stephane Kopp, and Kristin Murray, all of Jonesboro, Betsy Ashcraft of Horn Lake, Miss., Masami Shiono of Japan, Lauren Gray of Poplar Bluff, Mo., Amelia Russell of Stamps, and Catie Holiman of Gideon, Mo., soprano II; Lisa Richards of Osceola, Carolyn Smith and Caroline Sampson of Huntsville, Ala., Chantal McPherson of Albuequerque, N.M., Jessica Crociata of Tampa, Fla., Cindy Sterling and Rachel Warnick, both of Jonesboro, alto I; Ellen Philpot, Sarah Gipson and Amy Dunnivan, all of Jonesboro, Amanda Sinapiades of Paragould, Crystal Richards of Osceola, Melissa Martin of Wynne, Jennifer Bowles of Morrillton, Allene Kirk of Imboden, Patricia Salazar of McCook, Texas, Jamie Smith of Fouke, Jenny Pham of Jonesboro (now studying in New York at Hunter College), and Denise Goslyn of Glen Rose, alto II; Adam Sherwood of Searcy, Justin Griffin of Sikeston, Mo., Nic Sheppard of Doniphan, Mo., Bill Weaver of Little Rock, Zack Plair of Warren, and Rusty Shields of Osceola, tenor I; Chris France of Little Rock, Ryan Bane and Chris Mitchell, both of Trumann, Justin Dugger of Batesville, Corey Emerson of Poplar Bluff, Mo., and Aaron Binkley, Charles Winfield, Matt Vardell, and Duane Busby, all of Jonesboro, tenor II; Josh Brodbent of Wynne, John Easley of Bald Knob, Derrick Palmer of Brinkley, Keith Westbrook of Benton, Lance Lewallen of White Hall, Peter Bazzano of Germantown, Tenn., Miguel Picanco of Bono, Daniel Harrelson of Warren, and Perry Harper, Andrew Kjorlaug, Jonathan Schug, and Vic Swain all of Paragould, baritones; and Edmond Hampton of Fort Smith, Justin Lowe of Highland, Patrick Manes of Bryant, Josh Wilcoxson of Kennett, Mo., Ben Wainscott of Germantown, Tenn., and Paul Harrell, John Hays, and Jason Mendell, all of Jonesboro, basses.

The Community Choir includes: Denise Gibbons of Cherokee Village, Elizabeth Schug of Paragould, Rita Jones of Newport, Dr. Susan Allen, Ashley Fletcher, Deanna Jacobs, Nancy Miller and Carolyn Skinner, both of Jonesboro, soprano; Carol Brand, Jo Brinkle, and Beverly Finley, all of Jonesboro, alto; Tommy Walker of Marked Tree, Chuck Allen and Mark Skinner, both of Jonesboro, Scott Beasley of Brookland, Drew Dowdy of Paragould, and Floyd Hennan of Abilene, Texas, tenor; and Ron Durham of Cherokee Village, and Rodd Wilcoxson of Jonesboro, basses.

The Harrisburg High School Select Choir members include: Jeremy Blansett, Travis Drum, Greg Eberhard, Mark Nix, and Bobby Burnett, basses; Brittany Casebier, Shayna Cole, and Heather Chance, sopranos; Trevor Cooper and Wesley Hooper, tenors; Sarah Loughary and Emily Riggin, altos.

The Kennett High School Varsity Singers include: Ciera Walker, Abbey Smith, Lydia Wade, Kristen Privett, Katelyn Geary, Haylee Hunt, Mariann Wright, and Sally McVey, sopranos; Sarah Garrett, Alicia Bridges, Samantha Brown, and Katie Potts, altos; Brandon Burcham, Kenny Johnson, Tyler Carter, Ron Beaton, and Josh Pemberton, tenors; and Greg Haywood and Jake Vavak, basses. 

The concert, which will be held in the Fowler Center, 201 Olympic Drive on the ASU campus, is free and open to the public. For more information, please call the Department of Music at (870) 972-2094.

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