Tabor College Music

HILLSBORO, Kan. – Three professional musicians with ties to Tabor College will perform a variety of music ranging from Italian arias to Broadway show tunes during the Spring Chamber Recital “An Afternoon of Song” at 4 p.m. Sunday, February 28, in the Chapel Auditorium.

The recital will feature Dr. Holly Swartzendruber, soprano, and Glenn Litke, baritone, along with Dr. Sheila Litke, on piano. Admission is free and the public is encouraged to attend.

“It should be a wonderful afternoon of music,” said Litke, who serves as Associate Professor of Piano and Piano Pedagogy at the college. “In addition to the arias and show tunes, the program will include light-hearted music that will allow the audience to smile and laugh as well as some beautifully lyrical pieces that are highly expressive.

Swartzendruber, who teaches voice at Tabor, will sing a medley of songs including, “Come Ready and See Me”, “Sweet River, and “Waterbird” by Richard Hundley; a French selection, “Obéssons quand leur voix appelle” by Jules Massenet; as well as well-known Broadway show tunes from “Showboat” and “A Star is Born.”

“The recitals Holly has given in the past have been very successful,” Litke said. “It will be a pleasure to accompany her again as she performs.”

Dr. Litke also will have the pleasure of accompanying her husband, Glenn, who taught voice and conducted the Chorale at Tabor College from 1983 to 1990. The couple was married in 2008.

“I am excited about assisting my husband as he sings,” Sheila said. “He has not sung a recital at Tabor since he taught here, so it will be wonderful to hear him perform on campus again.  I always find it very inspiring to accompany fine performers.”

Glenn will perform a German selection “Sind es Schmerzen, sin des Freuden” by Johannes Brahms, as well as the medley “Childhood Fables for Grownups” by Irving Fine.

The singers will conclude with a duet version of “Give Me Jesus” arranged by Mark Hayes.

“Both Holly and Glenn are fine musicians and communicate well with the audience, so it will be a fantastic performance!” Sheila Litke said.

A reception will be held immediately following the performance in the lobby of the Wohlgemuth Music Education Center.

Dr. Swartzendruber earned a B.A. in music from Goshen College and a Master of Music in vocal performance with a vocal pedagogy emphasis from Ohio University.  She completed work for her DMA degree from the University of Kansas in 2001.  Among the operatic roles she has performed are Lucia from Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia, Despina from Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte, and Susanna from Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro.

She has performed locally, singing the soprano solos for Handel’s Messiah (Hesston College), the Brahms Requiem and Mozart Requiem (Bethel College), as well as Mozart’s Exsultate, jubilate on Tabor College’s 2006 Spring Music Program.

In addition, she maintains a private voice studio of high school students, and adjudicates regionally and statewide.  Dr. Swartzendruber is married to Dr. Douglas Miller, professor of Bible and religious studies at Tabor.

Glenn Litke earned music degrees at Tabor College (BA) and the University of Nebraska/Lincoln (MM).  Besides teaching private voice and related courses, he has served as conductor at the Tabor College Chorale and Concert Choir; conductor of the Liberty University Concert Choir, Lynchburg, VA; director of vocal ensembles at Grace College of the Bible, Omaha, NE; conductor of the Berean Academy High School Choir, Elbing, KS; and has held various church music positions.

As a baritone soloist, he has performed with the Bethany College Oratorio Society, Lindsburg, KS (12 consecutive years, including a 1985 national video production by PBS); Nebraska Opera Ensemble; Voices of Omaha; Lynchburg Virginia Fine Arts Society; Reno County Choral Society; Wichita Chamber Singers; Wichita Choral Society; and Bethel College Mid-Kansas Orchestra and Chorus as well as in many churches and recital halls.

Highlighting his solo repertoire are Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, St. John Passion and B Minor Mass; Brahms’ German Requiem; Faure and Mozart’s Requium’s; Haydn’s Creation; Mendelssohn’s Elijah and 30+ performances of Handel’s Messiah.  He has been a choral/vocal clinician and adjudicator at numerous festivals in Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Virginia.

His private students always rated well in competition including winners at NATS and several have excelled in their own singing careers.

His love for sacred/gospel music is evident in his participation in various quartets, trios and duos over the years traveling extensively including Japan.  After 20 years of teaching, Mr. Litke chose to go back to managing the family farm he was raised on.

Dr. Sheila Litke was the 2007-2008 Distinguished Faculty at Tabor College. She received her Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance from University of Kansas, a Master of Music in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from University of Colorado, and a Bachelor of Music degree from Houghton College. She has also studied in Germany and at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London, England.  Her primary instructors have included Jack Winerock, Richard Angeletti, C. Nolan Huizenga, Robert Spillman and Doloras Gadevsky.

Dr. Litke holds professional memberships with the Music Teachers National Association, Kansas Music Teachers Association and College Music Society.  She continues to perform as soloist and as accompanist for various recitals and has often served as an adjudicator and clinician.

Her key responsibilities at Tabor College include teaching applied piano, piano pedagogy, piano proficiency, class piano, theory and ear training and sight singing.  Additionally, she has founded and directs the Tabor College Music Preparatory School for Marion County and its surrounding areas.

A variety of chamber music will be played by violinist Adrienne Dougherty, cellist Susan Mayo, and Tabor’s own virtuoso pianist, Dr. Sheila Litke, at the Tabor College Faculty Chamber Recital, which begins at 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 13, at the Hillsboro Mennonite Brethren Church, 300 Prairie Point, in Hillsboro. Admission is free and the public is invited to attend.

“I have always enjoyed working with the chamber repertoire,” said Litke, who is the Associate Professor of Piano and Piano Pedagogy at Tabor College. “It’s very exciting and challenging to play. And to have the opportunity to perform with such fine players is a special treat as well.”

The chamber trio, which has performed beautifully together on several past occasions, is scheduled to perform three works on Sunday: “Trio in E Major,” by Franz Joseph Haydn; “Vocalise, Op. 34, No. 14,” by Sergei Rachmaninoff; and “Café Music for Trio,” by Paul Schoenfield.

“There will be a mix of styles with this program,” Litke said. “The Haydn is very light and dance-like. The Rachmaninoff is very expressive, as much of his music is. And the Cafe Music is just exciting to listen to. It brings together many styles such as blues, ragtime, spirituals and Broadway musicals.”

Dougherty is a retired instrumental music teacher in the Wichita Public Schools where she taught for 32 years. She has been a member of the Wichita Symphony for 38 years, and served as concertmaster for Music Theatre of Wichita for 38 years. In addition, she has served 13 years as concertmaster of the Newton Mid-Kansas Orchestra. She completed her Masters Degree in School Counseling at Wichita State University in the spring of 2006.

Mayo teaches at Friends University and Bethel College and plays with the Wichita Symphony. She also has a large private studio and was awarded the 2007 Lois Gordon Cello Teacher of the Year Award. She has participated in a variety of summer festivals including Spoleto, Coos Bay, Ameropa, and Flagstaff Summer Festival. She also has been a member of the KAC Touring Roster and the Artist in Residence program. She attended the University of the Pacific, the Peabody Conservatory, and Wichita State University.

Dr. Litke was the recipient of the Tabor College Distinguished Faculty Award in 2007-08, which granted her more time for practice and performances in Hillsboro and throughout the Midwest. She holds degrees from University of Kansas, University of Colorado and Houghton College. She has also studied in Germany and at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London, England.

A number of talented pianists, instrumentalists, and vocalists will be performing on stage during the Tabor College Music Department’s annual Honors Recital, beginning at 7 p.m., Tuesday, May 5 in the Chapel-Auditorium.

Admission is free and the public is invited to attend.

According to Dr. Richard Cantwell, Director of Instrumental Music and Chair of the Music Department, the Honors Recital is an opportunity for music students who are studying applied lessons to perform in a formal setting.

“Many of the applied students are not music majors, but are minors or members of our performing groups and would not normally have a recital requirement,” Cantwell said.

“It should be a great evening of wonderful music.”

Honors Recital Performers:

Violin Trio – Mary Goering, Katherine Goering, Julie Wiens

David Vogel -tenor

Darren Enns – baritone

Aaron Stepanek – bass

Kayla Vix – soprano

Emily Olson – soprano

Naomi Toews – piano

Lisa Hall – percussion

Corina Neufeld – oboe

Meghann Eblen – piano

Brandon Voth – piano

Megan Souter – flute

Mary Goering – violin

The Tabor College Symphonic Band, including the Jazz Band, Flute Ensemble and Bluejays’ Pep Band, will perform a series of free public concerts in Oklahoma during its annual Spring Tour, April 23 to 27, 2009.

According to Dr. Richard Cantwell, Director of the Symphonic Band and instrumental ensembles, a variety of music will be performed at different venues, beginning with the group’s first performance, at 7 p.m., Thursday, April 23, at the Mennonite Brethren Church, in Fairview, Okla.

“Providing a wide variety of music for the audience and the ability to play many different styles for the audience’s enjoyment is a goal and desire of each individual and the group,” said Cantwell, who is in his 11^th year of directing music at the college and also serves as Chairman of the Music Department.

“Instrumental music has a very different effect on its audience than piano or choral music,” Cantwell added. “The variety in timbres is greater and individually unique. The contrast in musical style is broader and more diverse. The resonances are thin and thick in nature. The dynamic levels are various and can become overwhelming.”

This year the band is featuring student soloists Corina Neufeld, oboist, from Denver, Colo.; marimba players Lisa Hall, McPherson, Kan., and Joel McCoy, Olathe, Kan.; and, trumpet player Eric Funk, Littleton, Colo.

The Symphonic Band members are selected by audition and come from across the United States. The Jazz Band and Flute Ensemble members are selected from members of the Symphonic Band.

The Jazz Band will be performing a variety of “Big Band” and “Swing Band” selections. The Flute Ensemble literature will be selected from classical and sacred selections.

“The ensemble members are individually fine players, but combining the individual abilities into a fine performance organization is an enjoyable and rewarding challenge,” Cantwell said. “Making beautiful music, making energizing music, making music fun and enjoyable are all desires of the ensemble.”

Other performances include:

* Friday, April 24, Memorial Road Mennonite Brethren Church in Edmond, Okla., at 7 p.m.

* Saturday, April 25, Oklahoma National Memorial, in Oklahoma City, followed by an evening concert at the Corn Mennonite Brethren Church, in Corn, Okla.

* Sunday, April 26, the band will provide music during the morning worship service at the church in Corn. After a lunch at the church, the band will travel to Enid, Okla., for a concert at the Enid Mennonite Brethren Church, at 6:00 pm.

* Monday, April 27, the ensembles will perform at the Oklahoma Bible Academy, Enid, Okla., before returning home to Hillsboro.

Upon returning to Hillsboro, the band will perform its Home Concert at 4 p.m., Sunday, May 3, in the College Chapel-Auditorium.

Dr. Cantwell holds a Doctorate in Music Arts Degree in Instrumental and Choral Conducting from the Conservatory of Music in Kansas City having worked extensively with Dr. Glenn Block and Dr. Eph Ehly. He is married to Dr. Linda Cantwell, Vice President of Enrollment and Marketing at Tabor College.

Celebrating its 100^th year, Tabor College is a four-year Christian liberal arts institution located in Hillsboro, Kan., with a second campus, the School for Adult and Graduate Studies, in Wichita, Kan. Visit us at www.tabor.edu.

To learn more about the Tabor College Music Programs, visit http://www.tabor.edu/undergraduate/academic-programs/music.

Tabor College Concert Band

DaQuon Anderson, Ardmore, Okla., Trombone; Hanna Bishop, Hays, Kan., Bass Clarinet; Timothy Butler, Hillsboro, Kan., Percussion; Andrew Corl, Abilene, Kan., Baritone; Heather Deckert, Minot, N.D., Clarinet; Emily Dick, Kingman, Kan., Clarinet; Erin Dick, Corn, Okla., Alto Saxophone; Meghann Eblen, Leavenworth, Kan., Bassoon/Baritone; Darren Enns, Hillsboro, Kan., Trombone; Aaron Epp, Henderson, Neb., Trombone; Ben Friesen, Guthrie, Okla., Baritone Saxophone; Mitch Friesen, Newton, Kan., Percussion; Sarah Friesen, Guthrie, Okla., Flute; Eric Funk, Littleton, Colo., Trumpet; Katie Gerber, Wichita, Kan., Flute; Steven Gramza, Olathe, Kan., Double Bass; Lisa Hall, McPherson, Kan., Percussion; Jeff Harden, Ashland, Kan., Trombone; Melissa Just, DeSoto, Kan., Flute; Alyssa King, Wichita, Kan., Flute; Shawn Malone, Junction City, Kan., Percussion; Joel McCoy, Olathe, Kan., Percussion; Corina Neufeld, Denver, Colo., Oboe; Andrew Pankratz, Abilene, Kan., French Horn; Jenae Pauls, Inman, Kan., Flute; Janae Rempel, Meade, Kan., Clarinet; Elissa Richert, Hillsboro, Kan., Contrabass Clarinet; Amy Schmidt, Corn, Okla., Flute; Emily Schmidt, Bel Aire, Kan., Flute; Aaron Stepanek, Hillsboro, Kan., Trumpet; Megan Souter, Fairview, Okla., Flute; Kayla Tonne, Ashland, Kan., Flute; Allison Trollope, Kingman, Kan., Alto Saxophone; Kelsey Unruh, Hillsboro, Kan., Alto Saxophone; Travis Unruh, Shafter, Calif., Trumpet; Mattie Vance, Concordia, Kan., Clarinet; David Vogel, Hillsboro, Kan., Trombone; Brandon Voth, Lynden, Wash., Clarinet; Danae Warkentin, Corn, Okla., Clarinet; Julie Wiens, Fresno, Calif., Percussion/Piano; Stephanie Wiens, Fresno, Calif., Flute/Piccolo; Briana Willems, Sedgwick, Kan., Percussion; and, Allen Yoder, Kingman, Kan., Trumpet.

Pianist Brandon Voth will perform his Senior Piano Recital at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 21^st at the Tabor College Chapel-Auditorium.

Admission is free and the public is invited to attend.

Voth, a Music/Biblical and Religious Studies major from Lynden, Wash., will perform Italian Concerto (Moderato) by Johann Sebastian Bach; Piano Concerto in D Major by Franz Joseph Haydn; Four Impromtus (Allegro Molto Moderato) by Franz Schubert; La fille aux cheveus de lin, La cathedrale engloutie, and Minstrels by Claude Debussy; and, Suite for Piano: Presto, Andante, and Vif, by Francis Poulnec.

“I wanted to provide a good variety of styles, genres, and time periods for both myself and the listener,” Voth said. “I’ve always loved Debussy because of his impressionistic emotional contrast, and the Poulenc set has really grown on me. The Bach and Haydn provide a nice contrast from the more contemporary and romantic pieces, and the Schubert is very opposite of everything else with its dark foreboding nature.”

Voth credits his musical success to his instructors, including his piano teacher, Dr. Shelia Litke, Associate Professor of Piano and Piano Pedagogy, who is an accomplished concert pianist.

“Tabor has done wonders to advance me musically,” Voth said. “All of the professors I get to work with show care and respect for me as a person as well as a love for music. I’ve had numerous opportunities to use newly acquired skills in a variety of settings; from church on Sunday mornings to football games on Friday nights, to traveling the country with the choir and band.”

Piano performance is Voth’s way to express his Christian faith, he added.

“Music is a language, a language that can express what words can’t,” Voth said. “Yes, getting the notes right is important, and many hours are spent towards that goal, but after that’s all finished, you can wade out into deeper waters and immerse yourself in it. Romans 8 talks of Jesus pleading on our behalf with ‘groans that words cannot express’, and music gives me a chance to ‘speak’ with Him with words I cannot express.”

Brandon is the son of Nolan and Starla Voth.

Pianist Nathanael May has canceled his performance scheduled for Tuesday, April 7, at the college.

HILLSBORO, Kan. – Award-winning pianist Meghann Eblen will perform her Senior Piano Recital at 4 p.m., Sunday, March 8, at the Tabor College Chapel-Auditorium.

Admission is free and the public is invited to attend.

Eblen, a Piano Pedagogy/Biblical and Religious Studies major from Leavenworth, Kan., will perform several movements from French Suite in G Major by J.S. Bach; Concerto in A Major K 414 Allegro by Mozart; Preludes, Book II Bruyeres, General Lavine – eccentric by Debussy; Excursions No. IV by S. Barber; Rodeo Corral Nocturne by A. Copland; and Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in C# Minor by F. Liszt.

“These pieces represent a number of pieces that have delighted me during my time at Tabor, so it was an easy choice to perform them for my senior recital,” Eblen said. “The Liszt, especially, has been a goal of mine to play since I was in junior high, so it is thrilling to be able to finally perform it.

“I like the diversity of each of these composers, and have enjoyed learning about them through their music, from the meticulous attention to detail of Bach to the painting with music of Debussy, to the wild and overwhelming sound of Liszt,” she added.

In November, 2008, Eblen placed second in the College Division of the Mid-Kansas Symphony Orchestra Young Soloist Competition in Newton, Kan., establishing her as one of the top collegiate pianists in the state. The competition was open to students from schools affiliated with the Associated Colleges of Central Kansas (ACCK), which include Bethany College, Bethel College, Kansas Wesleyan University, McPherson College, Sterling College, and Tabor College.

Eblen credits her performance success to her instructor, Dr. Sheila Litke, Associate Professor of Piano and Piano Pedagogy, who is an accomplished concert pianist.

“Dr. Litke has pushed me into new phases of technique and musicianship, and has challenged me to not be easily satisfied with the way I play,” Eblen said. “My depth as a musician and as a person has increased much in my years at Tabor.”

Piano performance is Eblen’s way of expressing her Christian faith, she added.

“I have always felt that music was a language, a language that allowed us to express ourselves when words simply are not strong enough, or when there simply are not words,” Eblen said. “Some of my most memorable worship experiences are due to music, and nothing matches the thrill of having worked so hard on a piece and finally being able to perform and enjoy it. It is at these times that I offer the best of who I am to my God, an offering not only of my talent, but also of my inner self.”

After graduation, Eblen plans to enter the ministry, and continue to perform.

“I have a heart for ministry, especially within the inner city,” she said. “For the immediate future, I would like to stay in the Hillsboro/Wichita area, and possibly find work as a para-educator and/or accompanist at a school while I get involved with ministries in the area.”

Meghann is the daughter of James (Buddy) and Kathy Eblen.

Tabor College is a four-year Christian liberal arts institution located in Hillsboro, Kan., with a second campus, the School for Adult and Graduate Studies, in Wichita. Visit us at www.tabor.edu.