Northwestern music department presents fall showcase

As part of Raider Nation Celebration, the Northwestern College music department will present a fall music showcase on Saturday, Oct. 4, at 7 p.m. in Christ Chapel. The showcase will feature music from the A cappella Choir, Heritage Singers, Women’s Choir, Jazz Band, Orchestra and Symphonic Band, and is free and open to the public.

The A cappella Choir will perform Elaine Hagenberg’s “All Praise to Thee,” and an emotion-laden setting of David’s “Absalom, My Son” lament. They will close with the entertaining “I’ll Tell My Ma,” an Irish youth song featuring piano and body percussion.

The Heritage Singers will be singing Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Little Fugue in G Minor,” a piece originally composed for organ. This work showcases Bach’s skill at writing complex counterpoint, weaving a theme that builds with intensity from start to finish. The Heritage Singers will also sing one of Johannes Brahms’ most beloved choral settings on a poem that expresses the beauty of a peaceful night paired with young love.

The Women’s Choir will be singing Eriks Esenvalds’ “Gaujas Meita, Rotataja,” a Latvian a cappella piece that envisions the tributaries of the river Gauja as daughters dancing toward their mother. They will also perform a moving setting by Ashley Eyre of Sara Teasdale’s poem, “I Would Live in Your Love.”

The Jazz Band will perform Benny Carter’s most famous piece, “Symphony in Riffs,” offering a taste of early jazz and featuring various solo instrumentalists. The Orchestra will showcase pieces including “Passacaglia in G Minor” by George Frideric Handel and “Overjoyed” by Katie O’Hara.

The Symphonic Band will present Gabriel Musella’s “A Thousand Hearts to Give,” which quotes many familiar hymns and was written for a husband and wife who modeled a marriage of love and helped forge a powerful influence in the future of music education. This band will also offer a celebration hymn by Alfred Reed, “Alleluia! Laudamus Te.”

Other highlights include performances by senior Jacob Rietveld (tenor), winner of the Rowenhorst Vocal Scholarship, accompanied by Dr. Juyeon Kang; and senior Meredith Sundberg (clarinet), winner of the Ritsema Instrumental Scholarship, accompanied by Janelle Phinney. The audience will also be invited to join in singing a hymn, accompanied by Dr. Jeremy Owens, college organist.