Department of Music presents University Singers and Carnegie Hall preview

Oct. 26, 2007 -- The Department of Music at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro will present the University Singers Men’s and Women’s Choirs Fall Concert on Sunday, Nov. 11, at 3 p.m., in  Fowler Center’s Riceland Hall, 201 Olympic Dr, Jonesboro. The ASU choirs will present music for male chorus, female chorus, and mixed chorus, and will be joined by community singers from the Jonesboro area and members of the ASU Concert Orchestra in a preview performance of their upcoming Carnegie Hall concert.

The University Singers Men’s and Women’s Choirs are under the direction of Dr. Dale Miller, director of choral activities, with assistance by Justin Register, graduate choral conducting student, and accompaniment by Luca Strazzullo, graduate piano student. Musical selections for the Women’s Choir will be taken from the Renaissance and modern eras. The women will perform “Instruments of Praise” by Allen Koepke, “Helas Mamour” by Jacques Clement and a spiritual arranged by Jester Hairston, “Poor Man Lazarus,” which will be conducted by Justin Register. The women will then sing a Sweet Adelines-style or barbershop-style selection, “I Don’t Want to Walk Without You,” arranged by Renee Craig. The women will conclude their portion of the program with a collection of popular songs titled “Girls Rock the Fifties,” arranged by Roger Emerson.

The Men’s Choir will also perform selections from the Renaissance and modern eras. The men will enter singing “Processional Alleluia” by Victor C. Johnson, which will be followed by “O vos omnes” by Francesco Corteccia, conducted by Mr. Register, “She Walks in Beauty” by Earlene Rentz, a patriotic number for Veteran’s Day entitled “Blades of Grass and Pure White Stones” arranged by Keith Christopher, and a barbershop-style arrangement of Billy Joel’s “The Longest Time.” The men will conclude their portion of the program with the spiritual “Plenty Good Room,” arranged by Moses Hogan. Tenor soloists for the Hogan piece will be Jordan Nealy and Justin Register.

Following a brief intermission, the combined choirs of ASU will be joined by the ASU Concert Orchestra and singers from Valley View High School, directed by Jo A. Brinkle, and a Jonesboro-area community choir to present “Coronation Mass, K.317” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. This will be a preview of the work which many of them will sing in Carnegie Hall on Jan. 13, 2008.

Soloists for the Jonesboro performance were selected by audition from the membership of the ASU and community choirs. Soprano soloist is Pat Register, a graduate vocal music performance major at ASU. She holds a bachelor of music degree from the University of Alabama at Huntsville, and is originally from Florence, Ala. Alto soloist is Christy Fudge, the junior high and high school choral director at Newport Public Schools, and a member of the university-community chorus. Fudge is a 2006 ASU graduate, originally from Forrest City. Tenor soloist is Jonathan R. Shields, a senior vocal performance major from Osceola. Bass soloist is Perry Harper, a senior music major from Paragould.

Personnel for the University Singers include Whitney Tucker of Wynne, Angela Jackson of Naylor, Mo., Pat Register of Huntsville, Ala., Elizabeth Schug of Paragould, Megan Throesch of Pocahontas, Ashleigh Hutcheson of White Hall, Kari Rickman of Jonesboro, and Heather Stroud of Trumann, first sopranos;

Mollie Black of Benton, Katie Fischer of Jacksonville, Michele Shotwell of Manila, Amanda Battles of North Little Rock, Amy Darnell of Poplar Bluff, Mo., Katherine Richards of Osceola, and Stephanie Tesch of Jonesboro, second sopranos; 

Lauren Bridges of Marmaduke, Abby Craft and Rebecca Craft of Jonesboro, Sarah Moore of Dexter, Mo., Haley Worthen of White Hall, Melissa Phillips of Puxico, Mo., Jeanie Clements of Batesville, Renee Zimmerman of Paragould, Savanna Traylor of Mountain Home, Helen Ward of Little Rock, and Sarah Loughery of Harrisburg, first altos;

Lisa Gray of Brookland, Savanna Hailey of Paragould, Susan Hulett of Mountain Home, Serita Mahone of Forrest City, Kimberly Toots and LeAnna Talley of Little Rock, Kristyn George and Carol Ann Segraves of Jonesboro, and Lacey Griggs of Paragould, second altos;

Maurice Butler of Wynne, Galen Perkins of Bartlett, Tenn., Michael Coles of Augusta, Elliott Andrews of Crossett, Wesley Hooper of Harrisburg, John Yerger of Jonesboro, and Fletcher Teague of Hamburg, first tenors;

Justin Register of Huntsville, Ala., Dustin Sullivan of Kennett, Craig McAlister, Willie Sullivan, and Lance Patterson of Jonesboro, Jeremy Carter of Paragould, Adam Rigney of Blytheville, and Jason Houston of Bay, second tenors;

Nick Robbins of Manila, Skyler Mays of Highland, Josh Lovett of Hamburg, Mark Parsley of Malvern, Matthew Ryals of Imboden, Jeremy Merrick and Paul T. Ross of Blytheville, Lindley White of Benton, Joseph Talley and Derrick Brockman of Jacksonville, Jerad Dugger of Pleasant Plains, and Sam Osborn of Paragould, baritones;

Gabrien Brown of Newport, Brandon Stroud, Jarvis Brodie, and Shane Gregory of Jonesboro, Perry Harper, Jonathan Trail, Blake Markum and Jordan Nealy of Paragould, and James Lepine of Little Rock, basses.

Personnel for the University-Community Chorus include Nancy Miller, Hannah Boles, Terri Jones and Nancy Nelson of Jonesboro, Sarah Seawel of Poplar Bluff, Mo., Cassie Black of Searcy, Lena Frisby of Bay, Jamie Brown of Rison, Melissa Jackson of Pine Bluff, Tiffany Mitchell of Springdale, Renee Porter of Kingwood, Texas, Crystal Stormes of Goobertown, and Katie Willeford of El Dorado, sopranos;

Tiffanie Holland of Bryant, Jessica Crociata of Tampa, Fla., Christy Fudge of Newport, Andrea Steward of Oil Trough, Amy Jarrett and Fonda Eaton of Harrisburg, Gayle Howe of Little Rock, Carol Ann and Sarah Beth Segraves of Jonesboro, and Summer Duncan of Mountain View, altos;

Jonathan R. Shields of Osceola, Michael Coles of Augusta, Craig McAlister of Jonesboro, Josh Dennis of Springfield, Mo., Ben Light of West Ridge, David Lyttle of Blytheville, and Justin Register of Huntsville, Ala., tenors;

Patrick Manes of Bryant, Derrick Palmer of Brinkley, Heath Duncan of Mountain View, Markham Howe of Jonesboro and Little Rock, Bob Perry, Anthony Fuller, and Jordan Nealy of Paragould, and Sean Pollock of Jonesboro, basses.

The concert is free and open to the public. For more details, please call the Department of Music at (870) 972-3841.

 # # #