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鈥檚 newest ensemble is comprised of the 鈥渂est of the best,鈥� said Keebaugh. 鈥淚 needed singers who could learn music quickly, were strong musicians, and able to balance this time commitment among their many other involvements.鈥�

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. 鈥淭hese are incredibly hard-working and passionate musicians, who are also very strong representatives of 草莓社区 and .鈥�

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 鈥渇ocused鈥� and 鈥渨ell-rounded.鈥�

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.

鈥淓mulate is a group of talented singers who have been able to come together very quickly and sing challenging music,鈥� Smoker said. 鈥淚 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 鈥� 7 p.m., Slate Hill Mennonite Church, Camp Hill, PA

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

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

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

Each year since 1993, two EMU students have been awarded full-ride tuition scholarships. The Yoder Scholarships are named for Carol and Paul R. Yoder Jr., 1963 graduates of EMU.

The rigorous selection process for this elite award includes a comprehensive academic and service resume, letters of recommendation, creative essays and interviews with Honors Program faculty members.

鈥淲e are looking for high-caliber creative students with wide-ranging interests and strong leadership abilities,鈥� says history professor , director of the at EMU.

During Honors Weekend last February, 56 students participated in the final interview process for the Yoder Scholarships. The group averaged 1285 on the SAT critical reading and math sections, 29.5 on the ACT, and had an average GPA of 4.1.

Outstanding academic achievement is a given for Yoder Scholars, but it doesn鈥檛 tell the whole story on the two selected for the honor this year.

Michaela Mast

Michaela Mast knows the sound of applause 鈥� on stage as young Cosette in “Les Miserables” and six years later as Maria in “The Sound of Music;” on the field after scoring the winning soccer goal in the state championship game; at the podium delivering the 2013 valedictory speech at Eastern Mennonite High School.

But it was the smile and hug of an impoverished gypsy girl that 鈥渟natched up part of my heart,鈥� Mast wrote on her blog, and compelled her to return to Romania during the fall of 2013.

Mast first met Magda one afternoon during her high school choir鈥檚 2012 trip to Europe. 鈥淎s we were leaving, she started running toward me, arms outstretched. I scooped her up into the biggest hug. Magda taught me what joy is. I heard God in her laughter, saw God in her smile, and felt God in her hugs鈥︹�� Michaela wrote in her journal.

With the support of her family and church, , Mast returned to that country 15 months later to volunteer for four months in several villages. She lived with a Romanian family, taught in a kindergarten, planned music activities and games for 50 children and, once again, hugged Magda.

As she looks back on her eight years at , music stands out.

鈥淚 grew up singing with my family and taking piano and violin lessons,鈥� Mast says. 鈥淢usic is rooted in who I am. I flourished within the music program at EMHS, participating in Touring Choir and Chamber Choir during my junior and senior years.鈥�

In the academic paper she submitted with her Yoder Scholar application, she advocated a greater integration of the visual and musical arts into school curriculum, through use of the arts to teach other subjects.

She is excited about exploring her many interests during her four years at EMU, and is thinking about combining an elementary education major with an English as a Second Language minor. She has also considered a liberal arts major before studying music therapy in grad school.

鈥淢y dream job would include working closely with children, especially children who are struggling, whether that鈥檚 due to their surroundings or family or physical disability,鈥� Mast continues. 鈥淚t would allow me to share my love and live compassionately.鈥�

Harrison Horst

Harrison Horst, the other 2014 Yoder Scholar, dreams of being a city planner in an underdeveloped country, where he鈥檇 use energy-efficient infrastructure to make the village or town as sustainable as possible.

In his last year at (Lancaster, Pa.), Horst volunteered one afternoon a week at the local Boys and Girls Club, where he helped children create musical instruments from found materials. 鈥淥ur goal is to teach [them] that music can be made everywhere from anything,鈥� says Horst.

鈥淎 lot of the ideas for original, creative instruments came from Internet sources like Pinterest and YouTube. We use lots of buckets; we鈥檙e heavy on percussion,鈥� he says.

Horst began making music at a young age, starting with saxophone lessons in the fourth grade. He鈥檚 played the sax in every band his school offers, from marching to orchestra to symphonic to jazz, and even organized a new saxophone quartet.

Horst ranked in the 99th percentile nationally on the critical reading and math sections of the SAT, and is a member of the chess team, quiz bowl team and National Honor Society. For his senior research paper he explored the themes of transcendentalism that run through the play “Death of a Salesman.”

When his busy schedule allows, Horst volunteers on Thursday nights at the local food bank and community center, serving hot meals and learning to know his less-fortunate neighbors. He is also the youth representative to the leadership board of .

鈥淚 am so excited about the global perspective that runs though EMU. And when you align that with faith and cultural values, it鈥檚 where I want to be,鈥� says Horst. He plans to major in environmental sustainability, with a possible music minor. 鈥淎nd I鈥檇 like to take as many courses as possible in peacebuilding and global service.鈥�

Perhaps one word could describe something these two Yoder Scholars have in common: 鈥渕eraki.鈥� It鈥檚 an untranslatable Greek word that Mast chose for the title of her blog, meaning 鈥渢he soul, creativity or love put into something; the essence of yourself that you put into your work.鈥�