Music days connect high schoolers to CUNE

The Honor Choir and Concordia’s A Cappella Choir pack the sanctuary of St. John Lutheran Church for this year’s Honor Choir Day concert on Nov. 7.

Photo credit: Elizabeth Salo

By Elizabeth Salo and Michaela Gibbs

This article is featured in the November print edition of the Sower newspaper. 

Concordia’s National Honor Choir Day on Nov. 7 brought more than 100 high school students to campus, part of a series of events for aspiring musicians and an opportunity for the Music Department to showcase its faculty and students as it recruits new prospects.

The department also hosted a Piano Day in October, the first time for that event, and plans to host National Honor Band Day this month.
National Honor Choir Day began in 1999 and included CUNE’s A Cappella Choir. It was developed to help students grow musically and it also gave them a taste of campus life.

High school Honor Choir students, directed by Dr. Kurt von Kampen, rehearse in the Borland Center recital hall on Nov. 7. Photo: Elizabeth Salo.

“[The students participate in] rehearsals, sectionals and a final performance with the university A Cappella Choir,” said Dr. Kurt von Kampen, A Capella Choir director and chair of the Music Department. “The students get a campus tour, eat lunch in the dining hall, and many stay overnight in the dorms with music students.”

“High school students were invited to submit video auditions for consideration,” von Kampen said. “This year we had over 300 submissions and a choir of 145 was chosen.”

“The [A Cappella] choir starts rehearsing the music that we are going to sing for Honor Choir pretty far in advance,” said senior A Cappella Choir member and Alto I section leader Miriam Ganoung.

Members of the Chamber Choir, a smaller group within the A Cappella Choir, sat with the high school students during the day.

“We [sat] in all day, singing with the kids, making sure that at least somebody in their section knows what’s going on, being a resource to talk about musical things, [and] to talk about college things,” said David Eatherton, a sophomore Chamber Choir member.

Senior Timothy Mars instructs a high school student during Piano Day masterclasses on Oct. 13. Photo: Elizabeth Grimpo.

At the end of the event, Honor Choir hosted a concert at St. John Lutheran Church. They performed several pieces, including “The Music of Living,” “Moonlight” and “I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say.” The A Capella Choir also performed several pieces, and the concert ended with a piece performed by both choirs, “Total Praise.” High school freshman Eliana Wahl, a student at Lincoln Lutheran High School, said that she enjoyed her experience.

“We had a few songs that we had to learn [that day] and we rehearsed throughout the entire day,” Wahl said. “We had a great time just experiencing Concordia and listening to some of their choirs, and it was really great.”

Piano Day on Oct. 13 brought to campus 20 high school students from the Nebraska area and one from Minnesota. It featured instructional sessions, masterclasses, a rehearsal observation, practice time on the department’s Steinway pianos, and a recital given by the Piano Day clinicians.

“Piano Day highlights both the talents of our professors and students, and our collection of Steinway pianos,” von Kampen said. “Prospective students quickly get a sense that they will receive outstanding instruction, access to world-class instruments, and all in a Lutheran Christian setting.”

Senior Joshua Jurchen instructs a high school student during Piano Day masterclasses on Oct. 13. Photo: Elizabeth Grimpo.

Dr. Cristina Hayes and Calvin Rohde, both adjunct professors of music, along with senior music students Timothy Mars and Joshua Jurchen, assisted with masterclasses and performed in the recital at the end of the day.

Dr. Elizabeth Grimpo, also a Concordia music professor, viewed the day as a success and is looking forward to improving the event even further next year.

“To communicate our passion to them, to motivate them to want to practice and improve, to give them a chance to play on Steinway pianos, all within an atmosphere of encouragement and Christian kindness were my goals for the day,” she said. “Thanks to everyone who helped, I think we succeeded.”

Concordia’s National Honor Band Day, an event that has been held for more than a decade, is a chance for high school instrumentalists to stay on campus with ensemble members for a few nights, see campus, perform with students and experience Concordia. This year, more than 130 high school musicians auditioned for the honor band and 80 were accepted.

National Honor Band Day started as Musical Arts Day in 1999, which evolved into Gathering of the Talents, and eventually into the current event. It includes a full rehearsal with the high school musicians and section leaders and principles from the Concordia Wind Symphony, a sectional time where the students have the chance to work with the private instrument instructors who serve as the music department adjunct faculty, an afternoon dress rehearsal, and a concert.

Wind Symphony conductor Robert Cody, also a Concordia music professor, said that Honor Band provides a unique opportunity for high school musicians to work with a new conductor, to hear Concordia’s ensembles and to fully experience music at Concordia.

“It’s an enriching, edifying experience, especially for the Lutheran high school students and other small school students that don’t often get to play in a band that is fully instrumented,” said Cody.