Photo: Hesston (Kan.) College chorale. Hesston photo. 

Choirs from all five Mennonite colleges are touring over their spring break. Hesston (Kan.) College’s Chamber Orchestra and Chorale toured Nebraska and Kansas from Feb. 12-14. Check out their schedules and see if they’ll be performing near you.

Bethel College, North Newton, Kan. 
Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado
March 18-27

The Bethel College Concert Choir’s annual spring break tour will take it to churches in both eastern and western Kansas, as well as Nebraska and Colorado. The choir is under the direction of William Eash.

Schedule: 

• Friday, March 18, 7 p.m., Manhattan (Kansas) Mennonite Church
• Saturday, March 19, 3 p.m., Grace Cathedral (Episcopal), Topeka, Kansas
• Sunday, March 20, 9:30 a.m., morning worship at Rainbow Mennonite Church, Kansas City, Kansas
• Sunday, March 20, 7 p.m., First Mennonite Church, Beatrice, Nebraska
• Monday, March 21, 7 p.m., First Mennonite Church, Lincoln
• Tuesday, March 22, 7 p.m., Bethesda Mennonite Church, Henderson, Nebraska
• Wednesday, March 23, 7 p.m., First Mennonite Church, Denver
• Friday, March 25, 7 p.m., Beth-El Mennonite Church, Colorado Springs
• Saturday, March 26, 3 p.m., First Mennonite Church, Ransom, Kansas
• Sunday, March 27, 7 p.m., Home Concert, Memorial Hall, Bethel College

Bluffton (Ohio) University
Pennsylvania, Virginia, Georgia, Florida and Ohio
March 6-13

Bluffton University’s Camerata Singers is a 30-member, select choral ensemble conducted by Dr. Mark J. Suderman, professor of music and director of choral activities at Bluffton. The program theme is “Songs of Praise and Love,” and will feature sacred choral music from the Renaissance period through the present, including music from a variety of styles and genres: gospel music, choruses from major works, spirituals and more.

Schedule:

• Sunday, March 6, 10:30 a.m. Pittsburgh (Pa.) Mennonite Church at 10:30 a.m.
• Sunday, March 6, 7:30 p.m., St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Mechanicsburg, Pa
• Monday, March 7, 9:50 a.m., Lancaster (Pa.) Mennonite High School
• Monday, March 7, 7:00 p.m., West Swamp Mennonite Church, Quakertown, Pa.
• Tuesday, March 8, 2:20 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., Eastern Mennonite High School, Harrisonburg, Va.
• Wednesday, March 9, 7:00 p.m., Berea Mennonite Church, Atlanta, Ga., at 7 p.m.
• Thursday, March 10, 4:00 p.m., Sunnyside Village, Sarasota, Fla.
• Friday, March 11, 11:30 a.m., Sarasota (Fla.) Christian School
• Sunday, March 13, 10:30 a.m., Cincinnati (Ohio) Mennonite Church

Eastern Mennonite University
Pennsylvania and Virginia
March 4-7

“It is solved by walking” – St. Augustine

The Emulate Chamber Ensemble will present a program focused on labyrinths. The program description reads: “A labyrinth is a spiritual tool serving as a walk-centering activity for the human heart, mind, and soul resembling the indirect path of our lives, which leads us into the center of the human condition, the heart and mind of God, the very core of illness or pain, and the focal point of enlightenment or understanding. Through a meditation guided by Medieval and Contemporary scripture, poetry, and song, prepare yourself to walk toward the labyrinth, enter in calm silence, and walk humbly with God.”

Schedule

• Friday, March 4, 7 p.m., Grace United Methodist Church, Middlebrook, Va.
• Saturday, March 5, 7 p.m., Akron (Pa.) Mennonite Church
• Sunday, March 6, 9:30 a.m., Blooming Glen (Pa.) Mennonite Church
• Sunday, March 6, 6:30 p.m., Salford Mennonite Church, Harleysville, Pa.
• Monday, March 7, 9:30 a.m., Christopher Dock Mennonite School, Lansdale, Pa.
• Monday, March 7, 2:25p.m., Penn View Christian School, Souderton, Pa.

Goshen (Ind.) College
New York, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio
Feb. 21-28

The Goshen College Chamber Choir tour theme is “I Thank You God,” taken from a work by Eric Whitacre with text by e.e. Cummings, featuring music that gives thanks for the myriad ways that God provides for our communities.

“I’m so excited to share this beautiful, powerful music,” said Dr. Scott Hochstetler, associate professor of music and Chamber Choir director. “We look forward to visiting all the churches and schools and creating lasting memories with each other and with our audiences.”

Schedule:

• Sunday, Feb. 21, 10 a.m., Clarence Center, Akron (NY) Mennonite Church
• Monday, Feb. 22 at 7:30 p.m., Joint concert with the Carthage Central High School Treble Choir, Chorale and Camerata Singers, Carthage (NY) Central High School
• Tuesday, Feb. 23 at 7 pm., Joint concert with the Ithaca High School Chamber Choir, St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, Ithaca, New York
• Wednesday, Feb. 24 at 6:15 p.m. (concert) and 7 p.m. (Mass), Saint James Catholic Church, Charles Town, West Virginia
• Thursday, Feb. 25  at 7 p.m., East Chestnut Street Mennonite Church, Lancaster, Pa.
• Friday, Feb. 26 at 2 p.m., Central Christian School, Kidron, Ohio
• Sunday Feb. 28 at 7:30 p.m., Home Concert, Sauder Concert Hall, Goshen (Ind.) College

Watch the choir perform with Ithaca High School’s choir: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkjvtxagJdk

Hesston (Kan.) College
Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Iowa
March 6-13

Hesston’s Bel Canto Singers will travel to five states on their spring tour. The program, entitled “Transform Our Lives,” is inspired by the paradox of our faith journey. Bel Canto Singers is a 23-voice mixed ensemble conducted by Dr. Russell Adrian.

Schedule:

• Sunday, March 6, 10:30 a.m., Lindale Mennonite Church, Linville, Va.
• Sunday, March 6, 2 p.m. – Park View Mennonite Church, Harrisonburg, Va.
• Monday, March 7, 9:30 a.m., Eastern Mennonite High School, Harrisonburg, Va.
• Monday, March 7, 7 p.m., Franconia Mennonite Church, Telford, Pa.
• Tuesday, March 8, 8:30 a.m., Choral Exchange at Christopher Dock Mennonite High School, Lansdale, Pa.
• Tuesday, March 8, 7 p.m., Sonnenberg Mennonite Church, Kidron, Ohio
• Wednesday, March 9, 9:30 a.m., Central Christian High School, Kidron, Ohio
• Wednesday, March 9, 2 p.m., Choral Exchange  at Pettisville (Ohio) High School
• Wednesday, March 9, 7 p.m., Zion Mennonite Church, Archbold, Ohio
• Thursday, March 10, 11 a.m., Bethany Christian High School, Goshen, Ind.
• Thursday, March 10, 7 p.m., College Mennonite Church, Goshen, Ind.
• Saturday, March 12, 7:30 p.m., Iowa Mennonite School, Kalona, Iowa
• Sunday, March 13, 9:30 a.m., First Mennonite Church, Iowa City, Iowa
• Tuesday, March 15, 7 p.m. Home concert, Hesston (Kan.) Mennonite Church