Witnessing a full-length performance, as ˛ÝÝ®ÉçÇř professor did in 1981 for the center’s 10-year anniversary, is “mind-blowing.”

“The complete work requires a marching band, rock band, symphonic orchestra, two choirs, a children’s choir, and a raft of soloists,” explains Nafziger. “And as you can imagine, you can’t just do this anywhere. Oh, and a ballet. There’s also a ballet … and the Alvin Ailey dancers.”

Lacking such an expansive stage, as well as a ballet and a marching band among other necessities, Nafziger and colleagues and are providing the next best opportunity. The works’ perennial themes of faith and doubt and the clash of tradition with modernity take center stage – albeit in an abridged version – at the university’s annual gala music concert Nov. 14, 7 p.m. in Lehman Auditorium.

Bernstein’s selections the highlight

Music lovers who regularly attend EMU’s annual gala concert, and those coming for the first time, will be delighted at this rare opportunity to hear “Concert Selections from Leonard Bernstein’s MASS” by , the only sanctioned, abridged version in the history of this major work.

“MASS” features the experience of “a celebrant observing a mass who finds himself in the midst of the noisy, discordant sounds of church culture,” Nafziger says. “His intention is to strip the noise away and find out what is at the core of the mass, which raises questions of faith and nonfaith, borrows all kinds of styles of music … and when it comes to that point in the mass when the wine and the bread are consecrated, he throws the chalice onto the floor, a most grievous sin in the Catholic religion. Out of that breakdown of his own faith, he finds a need to go on anyway and returns to the idea that to praise God properly, one needs to do it simply.”

Vocal soloists include sophomore Sarah Sutter, juniors Sam Swartzendruber and Jon Bishop, and seniors Guilio Garner and Heather Evans.

A musical showcase

While the Bernstein piece will be the highlight, other works are also in the evening’s program. The annual concert brings together the Chamber Singers, men’s and women’s choirs, Emulate, Chamber Orchestra, and the Wind Ensemble.

“The annual gala concert is an opportunity for the music department to showcase most of our ensembles and the large number of students who participate in our programs,” says Griffing, who conducts the orchestra. “We welcome the community to come out and help us celebrate and support the hard work of many while enjoying a wide variety of repertoire.”

The Wind Ensemble, directed by , will perform Gustav Holst’s “Suite for Winds.” The Chamber Orchestra will perform a portion of Ernest Bloch’s “Concerto Grosso” for strings and piano. Professor , baritone, will be featured in an aria from the Bach cantata “Ich habe henug.”

The concert is the primary fundraiser for the music scholarship fund. The suggested donation is $10 per person.

The 16-member group, led by assistant professor of music , specializes in madrigals, jazz, and modern and contemporary concert literature, both secular and sacred.

EMU’s newest ensemble is comprised of the “best of the best,” said Keebaugh. “I needed singers who could learn music quickly, were strong musicians, and able to balance this time commitment among their many other involvements.”

The son of an organist and a Brethren minister, Keebaugh is an experienced choir director and a widely traveled and oft-performed composer. He earned his DMA at The Catholic University of America, and was previously choral director at Mary Baldwin College and director of choral activities at Clarke County High School.

Keebaugh praised this particular group for their dedication. “These are incredibly hard-working and passionate musicians, who are also very strong representatives of ˛ÝÝ®ÉçÇř and .”

Paying tribute to musical roots, Keebaugh noted that Emulate includes nine graduates and former participants of two strong high school music programs.

Sophomore Jon Bishop joins Abby Bush and Jaclyn Kratz in representing . A tenor majoring in vocal performance and composition with a social environmental sustainability minor, Bishop calls this new group “focused” and “well-rounded.”

Junior Jeffrey Smoker, a business major who sings bass, is an experienced choral performer, having toured while at (EMHS) and. Fellow EMHS graduates in the group include Hannah Shultz, Caitlin Holsapple, Michaela Mast, Eli Wenger and Perry Blosser.

“Emulate is a group of talented singers who have been able to come together very quickly and sing challenging music,” Smoker said. “I was very impressed that by the end of our first rehearsal, we had sight-read four or five pieces, and they sounded pretty good. I am really excited to see and hear what we can do over the next few months.”

Local ties make this tour especially appealing, said senior Erin Hershey, who is among six Pennsylvania natives in the group. She and junior Luisa Miller are members of Slate Hill Mennonite Church, which hosts Emulate on March 5.

Rounding out the group are Heather Evans, of Alexandria, Virginia; Mischa De Jesus, of Kalona, Iowa; Jake Rhine, of Indianapolis, Indiana; Guilio Garner, of Harrisonburg, Virginia; and Nathaneal Ressler, of Mount Vernon, Illinois.

The Pennsylvania tour is a prelude to a longer two-week tour this summer through the midwest, with final performances at the June 30-July 5 in Kansas City, Missouri.

Schedule:

March 5 – 7 p.m., Slate Hill Mennonite Church, Camp Hill, PA

March 6 – 6:30 p.m., James Street Mennonite Church, Lancaster, PA

March 7 – 7 p.m., Martinsburg Memorial Church of the Brethren, Martinsburg, PA

March 8 – 9:30 a.m. worship service, University Mennonite Church, State College, PA