Behind the Baton: Thoughts From the Gala Concert Directors
The EMU Gala Concert has become one of the most exciting and unique annual concert events in the Valley, and we are thrilled to be partnering with the Eastern Mennonite University Music Department to present this year’s EMU/SVBF Gala Concert: ARISE!
Rehearsals for this year’s gala, which celebrates the beauty of resilience in overcoming hardship and the joy and peace found in community, have been underway since the beginning of the semester. The EMU University Choir and Orchestra will begin the evening’s program with a collaborative performance of the grand finale from Gustav Mahler’s “Resurrection” Symphony. “[They] have been working hard at the magnificent and monumental choral movement of Mahler's 2nd Symphony, the Resurrection. This transcendental piece gives me chills every time I hear and rehearse it. As one of the most performed symphonies in classical literature, it is an incredible experience for our students and community,” states Dr. Benjamin Bergey, director of orchestra and choirs. “The University Choir performing the Mahler this year includes EMU students, staff, and SVBF choir members. It is truly a collaboration toward the goal of hope. There is much to bring us down in the world right now, but this piece will raise our spirits!”
EMU’s Wind Ensemble will be the first group to take the stage for the second half of the program. “It is difficult to follow Mahler in any way, shape, or form,” says Dr. Kyle Remnant, director of bands, “but the Wind Ensemble repertoire aims to mirror the resurrection motif. John Mackey's Hymn to a Blue Hour speaks to the dimming hours of twilight while David Maslanka's Illumination brings us the hope of light again.” To culminate the evening, the EMU Jazz Ensemble will join with this year’s guest artists, multi-talented Broadway tap dancer/singer/actor Izaiah Montaque Harris and 2024 Ella Fitzgerald Jazz Voice Competition finalist Tina Hashemi, to present the world premiere of Overcoming, a narrative jazz suite that tells the story of moving from loneliness to the joy of community through dance and music. Full of touching moments and good old Broadway style razzle-dazzle tap dance, this premiere is not to be missed! Dr. Remnant jokes, “Organizing eighteen charts to be performed in about thirty minutes has been no small feat, but it will be well worth it in the long run. The best is yet to come!”
Admission to the Gala Concert is free, with a suggested donation of $10-$20. To learn more about the concert, click on the button below!