Tabor College Music

The Tabor College Handbell Choir will be among the groups performing at the community-wide Thanksgiving Service and Fall Festival Concert, “With Praise and Thanksgiving”, beginning at 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 22, at the Hillsboro Mennonite Brethren Church, 300 Prairie Point, in Hillsboro, Kan.

The event, co-sponsored by Tabor and the Hillsboro Area Ministerial Association, will feature a variety of groups and soloists from the Tabor Music Department. Admission is free with a donation of a non-perishable food item for Main Street Ministries. A freewill offering will also be taken for the work of the Ministerial Alliance.

The Handbell Choir will be playing the Christmas favorite, “Do You Hear What I Hear?” directed by Dr. Richard Cantwell, Director of Instrumental Music and Chair of the Music Department.

The Tabor College Handbell Choir began in 2003 with a significant donation from Dr. Don and Connie Isaac to purchase the first 2-octave set. The third octave was added through a generous donation from the Sam Regier Family in memory of Sam’s mother, Katharina Friesen Regier, an early Tabor College music faculty member.

According to Cantwell, handbell ringing requires a unique combination of musicianship, eye-hand coordination and personal focus. He recommends Handbell Choir participation for Tabor students planning to serve in the area of church music either as a vocation or a service.

“Many churches have handbell sets with a lack of skilled volunteers to lead them,” Cantwell said. “Tabor is fortunate to have a group of fine musicians willing to fit the Handbell Ensemble into their busy academic schedules.”

The Handbell Choir played during worship services held Sunday, Nov. 8, at Community Bible Church in Abilene, Kan., the home church of senior handbell choir member Andrea Kuntz. On Tuesday, Nov. 10, the choir performed for 125 residents and family members at Showalter Villa, in Hesston, Kan., where senior member Janae Rempel’s grandmother resides.

Unlike an orchestra or choir in which each musician is responsible for one line of the texture, a handbell ensemble acts as one instrument, with each musician responsible for sounding his or her assigned bells whenever that note appears in the music.

“Handbells is the type of group where everyone needs to be there, each part is so important,” said Sarah Friesen, a sophomore from Guthrie, Okla. “The Hesston audience was unique in that so many people either had played handbells or had a relative or friend that is a handbell player. It was a fun experience.”

Sally Epp, a freshman from Gilter, Neb., agreed, saying, “I enjoy handbells, it’s a new experience. After playing the piano for many years, it’s like starting over on a new instrument, and you learn to laugh at your mistakes.”

In addition to Kuntz, Remple, Friesen and Epp, other member of the Tabor College Handbell Choir include Katheryn Camp, Debbie Miller, Emily Olson, Emily Schmidt and Heidi Versaw.

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.

Cantate! will perform at Hillsboro MB Church Sunday, March 8 during their 10:40 am worship service. The men’s ensemble is comprised of men selected from the Concert Choir. Members of the ensemble are Darren Enns, Hillsboro, KS; Ben Friesen, Guthrie, OK; Will Friesen, Meade, KS; Ben Heyen, Hillsboro, KS; Justin Moore, Hillsboro, KS; Aaron Stepanek, Hillsboro, KS; Michael Suderman, Hillsboro, KS; David Vogel, Hillsboro, KS; and Brandon Voth, Lyndon, WA. Cantate! is directed by Dr. Bradley Vogel, Professor of Choral Music.

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.

HILLSBORO, Kan. – Four Tabor College instrumentalists have been selected to participate in the 2009 KMEA (Kansas Music Educator’s Association) College Honor Band Concert, at 2:45 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27, at Century II Concert Hall, in Wichita. The performance is free to the public.

Honor Band members are selected from college and university instrumentalists from across the state of Kansas, based on sectional and solo playing, musicianship, and dependability.

Selected to perform from Tabor College are Emily Dick (Kingman, Kan.) clarinet; Darren Enns (Hillsboro, Kan.) trombone; Corina Neufeld ((Denver, Colo.) oboe; and, Stephanie Wiens (Fresno, Calif.) flute.

“It was my honor to recommend these students and support their selection,” said Dr. Richard Cantwell, Concert Band Director and Chair of the Music Department. “The band members selected will all represent Tabor extremely well and will perform at a very professional level.”

The clinician working with the Honor Band is Dr. Peter Loel Boonshaft. Professor of Music and Director of Bands at Hofstra University, in Hempstead, N.Y., who has been called “One of the most exciting and exhilarating voices in music education today.”

Featured this year on the annual President’s Dinner, Friday, February 20, will be the men’s ensemble Cantate! and the newly formed Flute Ensemble. The men’s ensemble, Cantate! (the Italian word for “sing”), is comprised of men selected from the Concert Choir. The ensemble will perform Joseph Martin’s Come to the Music, accompanied by Will Friesen on piano and Stephanie Wiens on piccolo, and Kurt Bestor’s well known song The Prayer of the Children. Members of the ensemble are Darren Enns, Hillsboro, KS; Ben Friesen, Guthrie, OK; Will Friesen, Meade, KS; Ben Heyen, Hillsboro, KS; Justin Moore, Hillsboro, KS; Aaron Stepanek, Hillsboro, KS; Michael Suderman, Hillsboro, KS; David Vogel, Hillsboro, KS; and Brandon Voth, Lyndon, WA. Cantate! is directed by Dr. Bradley Vogel, Professor of Choral Music.

For the dinner the flutists will be performing two compositions, Dona Nobis Pacem, a beautiful melody with the original text “Grant Us Peace” and the second work the beautiful early 19th century gospel song, Thou Wilt Keep Him in Perfect Peace. Both have been arranged for the flute choir by Dr. Richard Cantwell, director of the ensemble. The flute ensembles members are from a variety of areas of study and majors across the campus. The members in the flute ensemble include: Sarah Friesen, Guthrie, OK; Katherine Gerber, Wichita, KS; Melissa Just, De Soto, KS; Alyssa King, Wichita, KS; Jenae Pauls, Inman, KS; Amy Schmidt, Corn, OK; Emily Schmidt, Bel Aire, KS; Megan Souter, Fairview, OK; Kayla Tonne, Ashland, KS; and Stephanie Wiens, Fresno, CA.