The world-renowned Wittenberg University Choir will tour four states during its annual Spring Concert Tour, March 4-8, 2016.
Through its long and illustrious history, the Wittenberg Choir has become one of the most traveled college choral groups in the United States. This year’s group will share its collective passion for music in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Tennessee and Ohio.
Under the direction of Erik Zinter, visiting assistant professor and director of choral activities at Wittenberg, the choir will begin the tour on Friday, March 4, at St. John’s Lutheran Church of Highland in Pittsburgh, Pa. There will be four total performances with the tour’s final appearance taking place in Ohio on Tuesday, March 8, at All Saints Lutheran Church in Worthington. The group will also perform at Wittenberg University’s Weaver Chapel on Saturday, March 19, at 7:30 p.m.
“We have a wide variety of music planned for the program,” said Zinter, who is going on his first tour with Wittenberg’s choir. “We are doing a set of American music, highlighting the contributions to choral music from American composers throughout the history of the United States. We are also singing an eclectic Mass - a Mass setting by four different composers and spanning more than 700 years. Other than that, there are the typical folk songs and hymns that audiences enjoy.”
The Wittenberg Choir is comprised of 41 members, 36 of whom are going on the tour to sing and three others to help with logistics. Music Department Chair Christopher Durrenberger, associate professor of music, will accompany the choir on piano.
“I love going on choir tour,” said Elaina Vimmerstedt, Wittenberg class of 2016, from Grandview Heights, Ohio. “There are so many wonderful things that happen on tour. For one, we get to share our light through music all over the country. Moving an audience with our music is the best feeling, and it is especially meaningful when we can connect with audiences that we don't usually have the opportunity to sing for.
“One of the main reasons I came to Wittenberg was actually to sing in the Wittenberg Choir,” she said. “I wanted to be part of it because I was inspired by their sound when I came to visit as a senior in high school. I remember when I heard them for the first time; they were preparing for a tour to Germany. That day I decided that I wanted to be part of this incredible ensemble. Being a member of the choir has been the most important and meaningful experience of my time at Witt.”
While Vimmerstedt, a music education major, is going on her last tour, Angela Galbraith, a first-year student from Pittsburgh, Pa., is embarking on her first.
“I am so excited to be singing in my hometown as our first location,” said Galbraith, class of 2019, who has a major in international studies with a Peace Corps track and a minor in music.
“I have always been involved in the arts, and I graduated from a performing arts high school with a major in vocal performance, so I knew I had to pursue music here at Wittenberg, as well. Being a part of Wittenberg's choir holds such a powerful tradition, and it is wonderful to be a member of that. My favorite part of being in the choir is to see how much I, and the choir as a whole, grow with each rehearsal and each performance. I also am looking forward to meeting many new people through this and to be given the opportunity to spread the light of Wittenberg through each place that we sing.”
The Wittenberg Choir 2016 Spring Tour is as follows and all events are free and open to the public:
Friday, March 4
St. John’s Lutheran Church of Highland, 7:30 p.m.
311 Cumberland Rd., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Sunday, March 6
Morning Star Lutheran Church, 8:30 a.m. service, 10 a.m. mini-concert, and 11 a.m. service
12509 Idlewild Rd., Matthews, North Carolina
Monday, March 7
Christ Lutheran Church, 7 p.m.
481 Snead Dr., Fairfield Glade, Tennessee
Tuesday, March 8
All Saints Lutheran Church, 7:30 p.m.
6770 N. High St., Worthington, Ohio
Saturday, March 19
Weaver Chapel, Wittenberg University, 7:30 p.m.
