by Amanda Espinosa '20

The Knox College Choir, directed by Professor of Music  Laura Lane, will perform a Send-Off Concert on Sunday, February 24, at 3:00 p.m. in First Lutheran Church, 364 E Water St., Galesburg.

The concert will showcase the program for the choir's 2019 Midwest Tour. From March 13 through March 18, the choir will be performing concerts in Iowa City, Iowa; Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota; and Chicago, Illinois.

The program features a wide variety of songs, from Vytautas Miškinis’ complex and powerful "Lucis Creator Optime" to Tarik O’Regan’s intense and ethereal "Turn."

This year, the Knox College Choir had the unique opportunity to work with South African composer and choral director Dr. Michael Barrett. Barrett is director of choral activities at the University of Pretoria and conductor of the internationally recognized Tuks Camerata.

Barrett visited Knox College on January 30-31 for a two-day residency, where he held a workshop on South African music and dance. During his residency, he rehearsed four of his pieces with the choir: " Indodana," "San’bonani," " Nda Wana," and "Namhla Kudibene." All of these pieces will be featured in the Send-Off Concert. Choir members Eddy Freeman, Alex Heston, Einar Pieler and David Petrak will be featured as soloists.

Knox Send-Off Concert Program

"Si Ch’io Vorrei Morire" - Claudio Monteverdi

"Super Flumina Babylonis" - Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina

"Richte Mich Gott" - Felix Mendelssohn

"Lucis Creator Optime" - Vytautas Miškinis

"Turn" - Tarik O’Regan

"Let My Love Be Heard" - Jake Runestad

"Veniki" - Traditional Russian, arr. F. Rubtsov

" Indodana" - arr. Michael Barrett and Ralf Schmitt

"San’bonani" - Traditional greeting in the Zulu culture, arr. Michael Barrett

" Nda Wana" - Traditional game song from the Venda culture, arr. Michael Barrett

"Namhla Kudibene" - Traditional war song from the Xhosa culture, arr. Michael Barrett

Knox Chamber Singers (to be selected from):

"Marsh Flowers" - Benjamin Britten

"The Evening Primrose" - Benjamin Britten

"Lux Aurumque" - Eric Whitacre

"Se Per Havervi Oime" - Morten Lauridsen

"A Haitian Noël" - Emile Desamours

The Knox College Choir

Laura Lane, Conductor
Casey Dierlam, Accompanist

Choir members listed by name, hometown, and major if declared

* Denotes members of the Knox College Chamber Singers

Soprano

• *Ellie Baird, La Grange, IL - Music
• Jessica Beckman, Owatonna, MN - Creative Writing
• Sophia Bowley, Jackson, MS - Undecided
• *Maggie Decker, St. Louis, MO - Music
• *Eliza Dehlin, Viroqua, WI - History
• *Cordelia Frese, St. Louis, MO - Creative Writing
• *Ellie Jacques, Bolingbrook, IL - Africana Studies 
• Gwen O’Connell, Chicago, IL - Creative Writing 
• Anna Rhodes, Avon, IL - Political Science 
• *Sarah Schierbeek, Skokie, IL - Psychology 
• Emily Wallace, Marion, IL - Art Education 

Alto

• *Stephanie Austin, Evanston, IL - Anthropology/Sociology 
• Monica Cardoza, Chicago, IL - Undecided
• Rachel Ditty, Delano, MN - Creative Writing 
• Emily DiBenedetto, Mount Pleasant, IL - History 
• Francesca Downs, Chicago, IL - Creative Writing 
• Amanda Espinosa, South Pasadena, CA - Political Science 
• Kaitlyn Hrivnak, Kewaunee, WI - Creative Writing/Theatre 
• Sarah Lohmann, St. Louis, MO - Creative Writing/Asian Studies 
• *Meghan Mohn, Kansas City, KS - Creative Writing 
• Teagan Moore, Elgin, IL - Undecided
• Eleanor Phan, Hanoi, Vietnam - Economics/Business 
• *Katerina Sasieta, St. Louis, MO - Music 
• *Sarah Smith, Maryville, MO - Music
• Abby Spengler, Bolingbrook, IL - Creative Writing
• *Fay Swift, Houston, TX - Environmental Studies
• *Ingrid Wasmer, Chicago, IL - Psychology/Spanish

Tenor

• Julian Bowens-Robinson, St. Louis, MO - Business  
• James Cook, Chicago, IL - Creative Writing/History    
• *Alex Heston, N. Hollywood, CA - Psychology  
• *Ben Lambert, La Grange, IL - Psychology  
• Tanner Nelson, St. Louis, MO - Political Science  
• *David Petrak, Darien, IL - Studio Art  
• Einar Pieler, Crystal Lake, IL - Music  
• *Noah Zand, Kenosha, WI - Elementary Education   

Bass

• Olive Colangelo, Lombard, IL - Environmental Science
• Alex Crawford, Little Rock, AR - International Relations
• Benjamin E. Dolezal, Columbia, MO - Biology
• Momin Farooq, Lahore, Pakistan - Computer Science   
• Edward Freeman, Chicago, IL - Music Education
• *Alex Gallo, Glen Ellyn, IL - Education
• Shubham Moitra, Mumbai, India - Economics/Business   
• Ajay Gustafson, St. Charles, IL - Chemistry/Engineering
• *Jasper Morgan, Champaign, IL - Creative Writing
• Emeka Nkuku, Hillside, IL - Computer Science
• *Gabriel Ochoa, Phoenix, AZ - Music Composition
• Ibrahim Sakrani, Lombard, IL - Biology
• *Jared Smith, Seneca, WI - Chemistry
• *Tom Trudeau, Raleigh, NC - Astrophysics